Stories of a Shop Girl
by wibblywobblytimeywhimy
Summary: A death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world from a paradox. What happened to Hermione Granger when she faded out of time? 23/31
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: Alright everyone, unlike the last book, this one is separated into three parts. I have part one complete, and that's as far as I'm publishing until the next part is done, and so on.

**A/N 2**: So, the first part of the book is Nineth Doctor centric, with brief glimpses of the Eleventh Doctor, and memories of the Tenth.

**A/N 3**: And I have never lost a child before, I have no idea what it is like. Please don't flame me.

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 1**: A False Rose

"_I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"_

I'd waited almost 18 months for him to say that. 18 months of waiting, pretending to be a dead girl. 18 months, and all I wanted was to tell him my name, my real name, be able to tell someone.

But I can't.

There are a few reasons. For one, telling him something else would create a paradox and possibly destroy the whole world. For another, he doesn't know me yet. He's never met me. The only reason why he took me along was to be able to take her along. Rose Tyler.

Because no matter what I look like, I was never going to be Rose Tyler.

My name is Hermione Jean Granger. My school mates called me 'Mione, a midget giant called me Hermy, and he called me Mia. So many names, but the one that I have to give, the one that has to be said is none of them.

So I say what I have to, "Rose."

"Nice to meet you Rose. Run for your life." And there was the crazy grin, the grin I would recognize anywhere.

I turn, tears in my eyes, and run. And while I run, I think about how I came to be here.

* * *

Last the Doctor saw of me, and last I saw of him, he'd been staring at me, and I'd been dissolving into time and space. He was confused, and I promised to find him again, to explain everything to him. And then I ended up somewhere in London.

With a quick charm, I was able to determine what year it was (2004). It was then that BB felt something. A pull. Something was happening that should never have happened. I apparated, following the feeling to a street corner.

It was the middle of the night, the neighbourhood was horrible, and there was a girl lying under a street lamp, bleeding out. I ran towards her, and began examining her. Peroxide blonde, and just about dead. I run to a door, and tell the people to call the police, someone was stabbed.

The police rolled up, and I got questioned. Did I know her? Why was I here? Who was I? It wasn't until one of the other officers came by and whispered something in the man's ear that I knew why BB had pulled me there.

After the other officer left, the man turned to me and asked, "Do you know the name Rose Tyler?" I shake my head, and can barely breath.

He turns to get up. I stop him.

"Is she going to be alright?" I ask, looking at the man. He frowns.

"I'm sorry, she was announced DOA." I fight not to cry. The officer comes close and rubs my back. "It's okay, there was nothing you could have done."

But it wasn't that I'd been too late. It was that she was never supposed to die. She was supposed to live, and thrive, and end up in an alternate universe. None of which she could do dead.

* * *

Jackie Tyler, Rose's mother wanted to have a word with me that night. She asked if I'd like to go get some tea, and offered her place given the late hour. Which is how I came to be sitting in her living room.

"I'm sorry about the mess. I was going to get..." She stops, and I can predict the words that she was going to say next. She seems more in shock than anything else. "Anyway, I'll get you that tea."

"Thank you." I said, sitting down on the couch. She came in with the tea a few minutes later.

"I'm sorry, it's just hard to believe she's gone. I keep expecting to hear her voice as she comes in." Jackie looks close to tears.

I sympathize. "I lost my parents a few years ago. I can't imagine what you're going through, with the loss of your daughter." Jackie goes, and busies herself in the kitchen, not wanting to be caught crying. I glance around the room, looking for something to do, anything other than wait for Jackie to come back when I see it.

It shouldn't be here. It shouldn't even be anywhere near this time or place. But it was for some reason. My cauldron from 1913, still bubbling with the last of my polyjuice potion. And then I had an idea. A crazy horrible idea, that might actually work and keep the timelines from imploding.

"I know when I lost my parents, I'd give anything to get them back." I comment, staring at the potion. "Jackie, I'd like to offer you something." Jackie comes in, confused.

"What do you mean, offer me something?"

I sigh, knowing no good way of putting this. "I want to offer you the change to get your daughter back."

"What?! How dare you?! Who the hell do you think you are!?" Jackie exploded, snarling at me.

I sigh. "I'm a time-travelling witch who knows what your daughter does in the future." Jackie seems to deflate.

"What?"

"Jackie, I know how crazy that sounds. I know how crazy I sound. But I ask for five minutes and your daughter's hairbrush." I give Jackie a pleading look. "Five minutes, and the hair brush. If you still think I'm completely out of my mind, you can kick me out, and I'll go on my merry way." Jackie looks at me, closes her eyes and looks about ready to cry.

"Alright, you've got five minutes." Jackie said, getting up and going down the hall into a room we'd passed. She comes back out, holding the hair brush, and I take it from her, I empty my cup of the tea, and scoop my potion into it. Jackie's eyes widen when she sees the potion. I drop one of the hairs from the hairbrush into the potion and pause for a moment.

"I'm going to change into your daughter. I'll still have all her memories, I swear, you can ask me anything you want." I said, before downing the potion. Instantly it hit, and I felt everything start stretching and contracting. It took almost two minutes, and when I looked at Jackie, she was sobbing.

"Oh, Rose!" She cried, and wrapped her arms around me. I held her tight, a mixture of trying to make her feel better and the natural instinct of Rose Tyler now in my brain. Oh dear, this was interesting. It took Jackie a few minutes to recover from sobbing. "Alright, I believe you. But why Rose? Why is she so important?"

And so I explained. Rose would meet an alien called the Doctor, who looked completely human, and she would save his life.

And then Jackie decided to ask what was going to happen.

"Well, I was hoping to pretend to be your daughter until he comes around. You have Rose's burial in secret, don't tell anyone, and I just step in."

Jackie looks at me. "I keep forgetting she's dead. You look exactly like her."

"I wish there was another way Jackie, I really do. I don't want to put you through this. It's horrible that I'm even asking you, but I have to, because otherwise this whole universe goes up in smoke. And that would be horrible."

Jackie looks away. "I'll do it. For Rose."

* * *

Since then, Jackie and I had gotten along fairly well. It was strange, suddenly having a mother after being an orphan for more than a century, but I got along. Jackie sometimes stopped talking to me a moment, and I knew she was remembering the real Rose Tyler.

We got on, and we continued with out lives. Until, one day, after work, I was attacked by manikins. And a man grabbed my hand, looked into my eyes, and said "Run."

He wasn't the same man, and I honestly didn't think he was really the Doctor at first. But it was the eyes, and the smile that made me believe. And a glimpse of the TARDIS.

Running again felt good on my (technically Rose's) legs. I ended up back at the flat, in which Jackie greeted me tearfully.

"It's alright Jackie, I'm fine." I said, patting her on the back. She nodded and went to go get cleaned up, while I sat on the couch.

Jackie runs around the room, talking on the phone, when Mickey enters. Putting on the front of being Rose again, I go to greet him, but he gets pissy.

"I've been phoning your mobile. You could've been dead. It's on the news and everythin'. I can't believe that your shop went up!" I roll my eyes.

"I'm alright, honestly, I'm fine! Don't make a fuss." He flops down on the couch next to me.

"Well, what happened?"

I sigh. Obviously I can't tell him about the plastic men and the Doctor, so I settle for an old stand by. "I don't know."

"What was it though? What caused it?" I sigh.

"I wasn't in the shop. I was outside. I didn't see anything."

Jackie interrupts us, telling me about an interview.

"Oh, that's brilliant! Give it here." I say, and she passes the phone to me. I end the call, handing it back.

Jackie glares. "Well, you've got to find some way of making money. Your job's kaput and I'm not bailing you out." The telephone rings again, and Jackie's back to yacking on the phone. Mickey offers a drink down at the pub, but I know that trick. Ron used that trick.

"There's a match on, ain't there."

Mickey blinks. "That's not the point, but we could catch the last five minutes."

I sigh. "Go on, then. I'm fine, really. Go." I comment. He notices a fake arm. "Get rid of that." We kiss, and Mickey takes the arm, waving goodbye.

* * *

I wake up the usual time, glancing at the clock. I fall back into bed as Jackie yells, "There's no point in getting up, sweetheart. You've got no job to go to."

After crawling out of bed and getting in a shower, I'm sitting having tea at the small dinning table. Jackie's throwing out suggestions on where to work, and I'm turning down all of them.

There's something at the door, and I check to see what it was. I glance down, to see the cat flap waving a little.

Because I'm too close to the door, I yell "Mum, you're such a liar. I told you to nail that cat flap down. We're going to get strays."

Jackie protests. "I did that weeks back!"

"No, you thought about it." I crouch down and see the screws lying on the floor. The flap moves and I jump. I slowly open it the other way, only to be met with blue eyes. I growl, get up and open the door. The Doctor! Or maybe not...

"What're you doing here?" For a second, I thought he recognized me.

"I live here."

The Doctor frowned. "Well, what do you do that for?" I sigh. Definitely not the way I wanted to be recognized.

"Because I do. I'm only at home because someone blew up my job." I hiss the last bit.

He looks at his sonic screwdriver and frowns. "I mustta got the wrong signal. You're not plastic are you?" He raps on my head. "No, bonehead. Bye then." I frown, grabbing his arm.

"You. Inside. Right now!"

Jackie stops us, and I try to explain who it was. He stops, talks to her for a few minutes.

"Don't mind the mess. Do you want a coffee?"

"Might as well, thanks. Just milk."

I get started making the coffee, and talking. "We should go to the police. Seriously. Both of us." He's rummaging around in the room, muttering to himself. "I'm not blaming you, even if it was just some sort of joke went wrong." Out of the corner of my eye, I see him flip through a paperback. "They said on the news they found a body."

He glances at himself in the mirror, and looks in shock. I frown. Maybe he just regenerated? Or something. "All the same, he was nice. Nice bloke. Anyway, if we are going to the police, I want to know what I'm saying." I grab the mugs, and head into the living room. "I want you to explain everything." I see him, standing with the cards fluttering around him. I sigh. "Oh, I forgot your milk." I run into the kitchen and he calls after me.

"What's that, then? You got a cat?"

I frown. "No. We did have, but now they're just strays. They come in off the estate." I walk back in with the milk to see him pretending to be strangled by the plastic arm I got Mickey to throw away last night. "I told Mickey to chuck that out. You're all the same. Give a man a plastic hand. Anyway, I don't even know your name. Doctor, what was it?" I turn to him. I still have doubts about him being who he says he is, but I just want to be certain.

He's still pretending to struggle with the arm, only to pull it off. It hovers for a second, before going after me. I hold it back, reflexes still good even though it's been eighteen months. He takes the sonic to it, and it stops.

"It's alright, I've stopped it. There you go, you see? Armless." He gives me a smile.

I smile back, before taking the arm. "Do you think?" I whack him with it.

"Ow!" He takes it back, tries to say a quick goodbye and walks off.

"Hold on a minute! You can't just go swanning off!" I follow him down the stairs.

"Yes I can. Here I am. This is me, swanning off. See you." I glare at him.

"But that arm was moving. It tried to kill me."

"Ten out of ten for observation."

I groan. "You can't just walk away. That's not fair. You've got to tell me what's going on."

He stops, and I almost run into him. "No, I don't."

We end up on the outside of the building. "Alright, then." I try to bluff. "I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice. Tell me, or I'll start talking."

He turns and looks at me. "Is that supposed to sound tough?" Damn.

"Sort of."

"Doesn't work."

I sigh, he's walking off again. "Who are you?"

"Told you. The Doctor."

"Yeah, but Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor." I inwardly smile and do a dance.

"The Doctor?" I ask, pretending to go along with the introduction.

"Hello!"

I laugh. "Is that supposed to sound impressive?"

"Sort of." He grins at me.

"Come on, then. You can tell me. I've seen enough. Are you the police?"

I knew the answer to that one. "No, I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home."

"But what have I done wrong? How come those plastic things keep coming after me?"

He turns back to me. "Oh, suddenly the Earth revolves around you. You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all."

"It tried to kill me." I sound angry, rather than upset. His words hurt a little.

"It was after me, not you. Last night, in the shop, I was there, you blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cos you've met me." I grit my teeth together, a wholly Hermione trait.

"So, what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you."

"Sort of, yeah."

"You're full of it."

"Sort of, yeah."

"But all this plastic stuff. Who else knows about it?" Subtly asking if he's got any companions...

"No one."

"What, you're on your own?"

"Well, who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on." And at that moment, all I want to do is slap him.

I sigh. "Okay. Start from the beginning. I mean, if we're going to go with the living plastic, and I don't even believe that, but if we do, how do we kill it?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead."

"So that's radio control?"

"Thought control." I blink, not liking that. He notices, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. So, who's controlling it then?"

"Long story." I sigh.

"But what's it all for? I mean, shop window dummies, what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?"

"No."

"No."

"It's not a price war." He said grinning. He turns serious. "They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?"

"Yes."

It took him by surprise. "Really?"

"Really. Doctor, tell me, who are you?"

"Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still." He pauses looking at me. "I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it." He grabs my hand. "We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go." He drops my hand. "That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home." He walks away, towards the TARDIS. I sigh.

"It's damn near impossible to forget you, you arse." I mutter, turning around.

* * *

I end up going to Mickey's who seems a little off, but I ignore it. We go out for pizza.

"Hell if I know what I'm going to do Mickey." I comment, looking at the menu.

"So, where did you meet this Doctor?" I blink. I hadn't mentioned the Doctor to him.

"I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me for a second?"

Mickey continues on, oblivious to what I just said. "Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Was he something to do with that?"

I frown. "No."

"Come on."

I sigh, frowning. "Sort of." I doubt that second that this is really Mickey. I play along anyway.

"What was he going there?"

I look at him. "I'm not going on about it, Mickey. Really, I'm not, because I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe. I think he's dangerous."

Mickey twitches a bit. A waiter comes up, offering champagne.

"We didn't order any." I wave him away, concerned for Mickey.

I glance up, and see the Doctor. Mickey glances up too. "Ah. Gotcha."

The Doctor shakes the bottle, and points it at Mickey. "Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!" He opens the bottle and the cork goes flying into Mickey's forehead. Who apparently is plastic.

"Anyway." Mickey says, getting up. His hand turns into a chopping block. I am tempted to scream. The Doctor wrestles with him a moment before pulling off his head. The rest of the customers flee, screaming. I roll my eyes. I run to the fire alarm and pull it.

"Everyone out, now!" I yell. The Doctor grabs my hand and we run through the kitchen and out the back door, where the TARDIS is parked. The Doctor jogs over to the TARDIS. I follow him.

Rose would say something like "You can't hide inside a wooden box!"

And then I get in. The TARDIS somehow recognizes me instantly, and I feel her mental presence in my brain.

"It's going to follow us!" I yell.

"The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me they've tried. Now, shut up a minute." The Doctor talks a mile a minute, and I barely understand a word he's saying, he's talking so fast. "Right. Where do you want to start?"

I sigh. "It's beautiful." His eyebrows go up. Apparently that was different. The ship purrs, and I smile.

"Nothing like, it's bigger on the inside?"

I shake my head. "That's kind of dumb to say, stating the obvious. Given that, I'd say it's either future tech, or alien. Given that, you're either from the future or an alien."

He blinks. "Or both."

I nod. "Or both." I glance to the console. "Your head's melting." He frowns hands going to his face, before realizing what I meant.

"No, no, no, no, no!" He's starts the TARDIS, and I grab on to something out of habit.

"What are you doing?" I yell.

He doesn't glance back. "Following the signal. It's fading. Wait a minute. I've got it. No, no, no, no, no! Almost there, almost there. Here we go."

He runs to the doors, past me and I follow.

"I lost the signal. I got so close."

I sigh. "I'm going to have to tell his mother. And my mother." He gives me a blank look. "About Mickey. He's probably dead, and you've forgotten him!"

"Look if I did forget some kid called Mickey-"

I cut him off, furious. "Yeah, he's not a kid!"

"It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, alright?"

I sigh. "Alright."

"Yes, it is."

"If you are an alien, how comes you sound like you're from the North?"

"Lots of planets have a north."

"And this living plastic, what's it got against us?"

The Doctor frowned. "Nothing. It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!"

I roll my eyes at his dramatics. "Anyway of stopping it?"

"Anti-plastic." He said, holding a vial of blue liquid.

"Anti-plastic."

"Anti-plastic. But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something like that in a big city this small?"

I sigh, he was jumping ahead of himself. "Hold on. Hide what?"

"The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"What's it look like?"

"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible."

I look and see the London Eye. I give him a look. He looks behind him. "What?" He turns back to me. We repeat this process until he realizes what I am staring at. "Oh. Fantastic!"

We run over the Westminster Bridge, and he stops me.

"Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables."

I can't help but continue: "Breast Implants." He shoots me a dirty look. I grin.

"Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath." I begin scanning the area, looking for a manhole or something. Spotting it, I point it out to the Doctor, who agrees. We go down the hole, and into sewers (which is fairly common when working with the Doctor).

We end up going down the stairs and I see a large vat. The Nestene Consciousness.

The Doctor confirms my suspicions.

"So, then, do we talk to it? Ask it to leave?" I ask, and the Doctor nods. He walks further down the stairs, and begins talking to the vat.

"I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation."

The vat makes a series of sounds, and the TARDIS translates it for me. "Allowed."

"Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?"

"You may." I look down and spot a familiar head.

"Oh, God! Mickey!" I yell, running down past the Doctor. Mickey seems to be in shock. I'd check, but with the potion running through my system, I had no access to my magic.

"That thing down there, the liquid. Rose, it can talk!" Mickey said, eyes wide.

I roll my eyes. The Doctor continued until he was level with the vat of living plastic. "Am I addressing the Consciousness?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" I groan at his pun. I pick Mickey up and lead him towards where I knew the TARDIS was.

"It is my constitutional right to be here."

The Doctor growled. "Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk to me a bout constitutional rights."

"How dare you-"

"I am talking!" The Doctor yelled over the living plastic. "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go."

I glance down, to see two shop dummies coming up behind the Doctor. "Doctor!" I tried calling, but it was too late. They got him. One held him, while the other pulled out the vial of anti-plastic.

"That was just insurance. I wasn't going to use it."

"You were going to attack!"

"I was not attacking you. I'm here to help!"

"Enemy."

"I'm not your enemy. I swear I'm not."

"Is this not your ship?"

A door slides beside us and the TARDIS comes into view. "Yes, that's my ship."

"Then it is your fault that my planet is gone."

"That's not true."

"The Time Lords could have saved it."

"That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them."

Generators started sounding and I yelled down to the Doctor. "What's it doing?"

He looks up at me. "It's the TARDIS! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it now!"

I frown. Like that was ever going to happen. He may not be my Doctor, but he still needs help. I glance around the room, looking for assets. My eyes land on a chain and I grin. Perfect.

Doing a fair impersonation of Tarzan, I swing from the chain into the plastic dummy holding the anti-plastic. He falls backwards, and I grab the anti-plastic at the last second. The Doctor throws the other dummy off him.

After landing in a roll, I walk up to the Nestene Consciousness. "Alright Mister. I know I can't understand you, but I bet you understand me. Now you have two options. You leave Earth, or I use the anti-plastic. Got it?" I call.

"Human girl. You think you can tell me what to do!" I turn to the Doctor, pretending not to have understood.

"I doubt he said anything friendly..." I comment. I turn back to the living plastic. "Make your choice now, because all your dummies are gone, and the only thing that is stopping me from pouring this vial into you is the fact that you haven't answered yet." With that, the Consciousness disappeared. I sigh, and am about ready to collapse.

He leads Mickey and me back into the TARDIS, because as the Consciousness left, some form of self destruct started. Mickey stands their gaping, and the Doctor runs to the console. A few minutes later, we were landed and Mickey runs out and tries to hide behind a pallet of some form.

I sigh and walk over to him. "Fat lot of good you were."

The Doctor comes and leans on the TARDIS doors. "Nestene Consciousness? Easy."

I laugh at him. "You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me." I smile. He wasn't yet my Doctor, but I knew, then and there, he still was the Doctor.

The next words out of his mouth surprised me. "Yes, I would. Thank you." I stop, staring at him. "Right then, I'll be off, unless, er, I don't know, you could come with me. This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe, free of charge."

Mickey pipes up. "Don't. He's an alien. He's a thing."

The Doctor glances down at him. "He's not invited. What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere."

And really, when I think back on this day, however long in the future, I know that I would have said yes if he invited me. It just made me want to say it more. But there were things I had to ask, that I hadn't thought to ask before.

"Is it always this dangerous?"

"Yeah."

I knew the answer to that one, but I felt I should ask it, even if it was two and a half years too late. "Can I stop at home and pick up a few things, tell my mom where I'm going?" He sighs.

"Yeah." I grin.

"Then, yes." I tear myself away from Mickey, and run into the TARDIS.

He looks at me. "Alright then, where's home?"

"You've already seen it, silly." I grin. He nods, and the TARDIS does her version of magic. When we land, I get out, glancing around to see that the apartment was empty. "Be back in a few minutes." He nods, and I run to Rose's room.

I pick up my still transfigured beaded bag/purse, and slip it into an old backpack. I then slip six months worth of vials into the bag, as well as my cauldron, and all the ingredients I would need to make more. I slip in enough clothes to make it seem normal, and to not break the potions, and I zipped the bag up. I run to the dinning room, and write Jackie a quick note:

Jackie,

Like I told you, Rose Tyler would find the Doctor, and so I have found him. I promise to visit, and possibly see if I can call.

With Love,

Mia/Rose

And with that and a weight to keep it in place, I put it on the table, and ran back into the TARDIS.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 2**: A Man in a Tweed Jacket

I drop my bag off in the interior of the TARDIS and race to the console.

"Right then, Rose Tyler, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be?" I blink.

He was different. A lot different. I couldn't imagine the Doctor in leather, but it suited this face. He was different, darker. Less childish.

I suppose that's what regeneration meant, but it was strange, seeing him, knowing him, and yet not really knowing him at all. Not being able to recognize the face across the room. I could still feel him, and the TARDIS, even though they were weaker because I was taking the potion.

Was he a future version? Or a Doctor from the past? He didn't know Rose Tyler, which means it's before her time with him, which most likely means that either his memories of her are erased, or he's from the past.

And if he's from the past, every move I make, every word I say could have potentially life altering ramifications to what happens in my future. With that thought, I grew terrified to even speak, knowing that one wrong move could change everything.

I couldn't even ask the real Rose Tyler for help. As she wasn't alive, her presence outside of her memories in my mind was completely gone. Unlike when I became the Matron, there was no voice inside my head, telling me what to do. There was no presence inside my mind, trying to take over. I was completely alone, trying to pretend to be someone I had never even met.

I mean, I made Mickey believe I was Rose, but that wasn't so hard. He barely noticed any difference. Jackie was hard to convince, but she knew. Anyone else either barely knew Rose, or had only met me pretending to be Rose. One wrong move, one wrong twitch, and the whole house of cards fell, and life as we know it would end. And I really couldn't lie very well.

My only comfort in this was the Doctor mentioning I was a lot like Rose Tyler. (Which of course made me wonder, am I like the real Rose Tyler, or am I like the me pretending to be Rose Tyler? Was this meant to happen, or am I just bandaging the wound of time and space?)

Backwards or forwards? I made the choice I would normally make. "Forwards."

He grins. "How far?"

"One hundred years." Something simple, and hopefully not life threatening. Hopefully something Rose would say.

He grins, and begins to flick switches and pull knobs. We stop. "There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty second century." I grin.

I honestly doubt that he got it right. "You're kidding."

He takes it differently than I meant. "That's a bit boring, though. Do you want to go further?"

My mind drifts back to the last time I went far into the future, and the results of that life, before bringing myself back. "Fine by me." Rose seemed to be more competitive in nature. Jackie said she's more likely to challenge authority.

He works the TARDIS again, and we stop. "Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new Roman Empire."

I snort. "You think you're so impressive."

He frowns. "I am so impressive." He says, defensively.

"You wish."

He grins at me. "Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go. Hold on!" I grab the console, careful not to touch anything important, and laugh.

We stop. "Where are we? What's out there?" He leads me out of the door, and we are in some form of gallery. And outside of the window, is the Earth. A classic Earth.

He steps beside me. "You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to be killed by eggs or beef or global warming, or asteroids. But you never take the time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Five billion years in your future, ad this is the day..." He glances to his watch, "Hold on."

The sun flares and begins to turn red. I gasp.

"This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world." Internally, I snort. Not nearly as impressive as the end of the universe, but a close second.

We walk to another room, through corridors. A computer announces that the guests are arriving, and I ask him if it means humans. He says it means aliens.

"Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich."

I frown. "But, hold on. The sun expanding, that takes millions of years."

"The planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there? Gravity satellites holding back the sun." I sigh.

"How long's it got?"

"About half an hour before the planet gets roasted."

"What about the people?"

"It's empty. They're all gone. No one left."

"Just me then."

"Who the hell are you?" A voice called, we both turn and see a blue man behind us. The Doctor evened things over by showing the steward his psychic paper.

Names were called, and people were introduced, and all I really wanted to do was run away. It was too much. So I did.

* * *

I saw Rose run off, and I figured it was due to culture shock. I'd give her a few minutes. The steward introduced the last names, and I turned.

"From the Bad Wolf Corporation, we have Rory and Amelia Pond-Williams and James and Maria Lupus."

The first two looked human, the man being dark haired and the woman having bright ginger hair, while the other two looked... strange. The man, oh dear, he was me.

I storm over to the two. "What the hell do you think you're doing, crossing timelines." The man, who was wearing tweed and a bow-tie, his eyes widened, and he paled.

"Oh, no. I know what happens next and I'd rather not get punched today." He said, trying to duck behind the woman.

I sigh. "Please don't tell me I'm a wimp."

"Oi! I'm not a wimp."

"Doctor." The redhead woman (Amelia Pond-Williams?) hissed.

"Pond, go play nice with the other aliens. We're only going to be here for a few minutes." Amelia sighed, before leading the other man (Rory?) off to the rest of the party.

Maria turned to look at me. "Ignore him. He knows you're going to get pissy and punch him, and he'd rather not let that happen."

"I kinda want to punch him now."

She sighs. "Well, do it after he gets back from doing what he's supposed to be doing." She commented, shooing him away. He glared at her before leaving.

"So, who are you then?"

She laughs. "Oh, you know. Your future. Can't tell you. Spoilers." She smiles. She frowns. "I never got to..." And then she leans into kiss me.

I let her, than back away. "I thought you and me, well future me..." She laughs.

"Oh, yes. Well, it is a ridiculously long story. But you are you, no matter what ends up happening." She gives me a radiant smile. "You can't mention this to Rose. Or me, when you see me again."

"Why not?"

She grins. "I'm at the end of our time loop. You barely just begun. You haven't even met me for the first time yet." She pauses. "Well my first time. This whole thing is wibbly-wobbly, and timey-whimy." She grins. I laugh.

"Then why'd you kiss me?"

She gives me a smirk. "Incentive."

She thinks a moment, then hands me something. I glance down, seeing a key. "What's this for then?"

"The maintenance duct is behind our guest suite, but we won't be staying. You're going to need the key."

She glances up, and sees the other me walking back into the room. He nods to her, and she smiles at him. Glancing over my leatherclad shoulder, she looks for her other friends.

"Ponds! We're leaving, with or without you!" She calls, turning and taking the other me's arm. She turns back to me and gives me a wink. I sigh. I'm supposed to punch him. I forgot. I stop him, and he flinches.

"Listen, I don't know what exactly happens between now and your now, but I bet I should do this." I comment, before punching him.

"Ow! You punched me!" He whined.

Maria laughs. "Come on, sugar. We've got things to do, and I think that blinking light in the TARDIS is HQ calling needing back up. And besides, I think Craig and Sophie are done babysitting."

I blink, hearing the last of dregs of their conversation. Damn. I went domestic.

* * *

_Meanwhile, with Hermione..._

I was sitting in one of the rooms, attempting to come to terms with what had actually happened, and how I ended up here of all places, when someone came and sat down beside me.

"Hello, it looks like you need someone to talk to." He commented. I looked at him. Tweed, a bowtie, and a fez. Flippy hair and the appearance of a puppy. Inside his tweed jacket, suspenders.

"Look, I don't know who you are but-"

He cuts me off, "Yes you do. Or you will..." He frowns. "Time travel does wonders to your grammar." I frown.

"Alright then, who are you?"

"Hermione Granger, I can't believe you don't remember me after all we've been through. Or will be through." I laugh, and then freeze, noticing what he called me.

"I don't know who you're talking about, Hermione Granger. You must have me confused with someone else. I'm Rose Tyler."

He frowns. "No, you're pretending to be Rose Tyler." I look at him. No one knows that but Jackie currently.

"How do you..." I trailed off, and looked in his eyes. Something finally fit.

"Doctor?!" I almost yelled. He grins.

"The one and only."

I laugh. "Are you hear to take me back to my time or something, and fix it so that the real Rose Tyler can take her place in this time, or something?"

He smiles at me. "No, you're right where you need to be."

I look away. "Right, like I believe that."

He smiles. "Well, there is one way to prove it. You need to live it. And to live it, you need this." He said. I turned back to him, to see him holding up a locket.

It's about the size of his fob watch, only golden. And there are swirls of TARDIS blue stones inlaid in it. "What is it?"

He smiles. "Well, there's a simple answer, which gives away too much of your future, and a more complex answer, which gives away too much of my future. Or there's the easy answer, which is just annoying. You'll find out in time. For now, it is an interface. It will keep track of how long it's been since you need to take your potion, and a few other things."

I look at him. "Why?"

"Because, you're meant to have this." He smiles. "Oh, and I'm also supposed to tell you about our little tradition here. To make sure I know it is you, you have to tell me 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. But really it's only between this me and you." I frown, but nod, hoping one day he would make sense.

"You're not making any sense."

He smiles. "When have I ever made sense, Mia?" He grins. He leans in and snogs me. When we pull back, I'm flustered.

"What was that for?"

"Incentive. It's a long road to get to where I am." He gets up to leave, and I stop him.

"Is it worth it?" He looks at me and grins.

"I'd live my life a hundred more times, willingly, if I knew where I ended up. Trust me. I may be harsh now, but you change me. Make me a better man. Just like you claim that I ended up changing you." I give him a watery smile, and I try not to cry. He crouches down, and takes my face in his hands. "Hermione Jean Granger, I swear, it will be painful. It will be long. But it will be so worth it in the end." He kisses my forehead, and then gets up and walks away.

I sigh, rubbing at my cheeks, hoping that the ridiculous amount of mascara that Rose Tyler normally wears wouldn't run.

"Rose? Are you in there?" The Doctor calls. The other Doctor, the one I came here with. He enters and I turn to him.

"Aye, aye." He's grinning, and I grin back. "What do you think, then?"

I smile. "A little culture shock, but not too bad."

He smiles. He looks down and glances at the locket. "Where'd you get that?"

Thinking on the spot, I came up with a rather easy answer of "I slipped it in my pocket when we stopped by home. I forgot about it, and when I checked my pocket for my cellphone, I found it." He nods. I slip it on, quickly hiding it under my shirt, like the Philosopher's Stone and the broken time-turner. "So, I've learnt a little bit about aliens, but not a lot about you. Where are you from?" He looks at me.

"All over the place."

I sigh. "Who are you, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are you?" I'd rather get these questions out of the way, because then I don't have to fake not knowing it.

"I'm just the Doctor." I frown.

"From what planet?"

"Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!"

I get a little angry. "Where are you from?"

"What does it matter?"

"Tell me who you are!"

"This is who I am, right here, right now, alright? All that counts is right here and now, and this is me."

I stop a moment, and look at him. Really look at him. And then I realize, he's just come from the war. He's just... Oh. "Alright. My friend's always saying, don't argue with the designated driver." I reach for my phone, trying to make him laugh. "Can't exactly call for a taxi." I glance at the phone. "There's no signal. We're out of range. Just a bit."

He laughs. "Tell you what." He takes the phone from me, and begins to take it apart. "With a little jiggery pokery."

"Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?"

"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you?"

"Naw, I failed hullabaloo." He smiles. Whatever he's done to my phone, he hands it back.

"Oh. There you go." I give him a look. I phone Jackie.

"_Hello?_" My eyes widen. Oh.

"Mum?" I say, knowing he probably would question me calling my mother (or at least, who he thinks as my mother) Jackie.

"_Oh, what is it? What's wrong? What have I done now? Oh, this red top's falling to bits. You should get your money back. Go on._" I laugh. "_There must be something. You've been gone for three weeks, and haven't phoned me._"

"Oh, just wanted to make sure you got my note."

"_'Course I got your note sweetheart. You have fun. And visit when you can._"

"I'm sorry."

"_No need. I knew this day was coming eventually. It's just a little hard, some days._"

"I'll try and visit when I can."

We say goodbye, and I look at the Doctor. "You think that's amazing, you want to see the bill."

"That was five billion years ago. So, she's dead now. Five billion years later, and she's dead."

"Bundle of laughs you are."

The ground shakes, and the Doctor looks up. I look at him. "I take it that's not supposed to happen?" He frowns, grabs my hand and runs to the main room.

Overhearing a little blue man speaking, he said "Indubitably, this is the Bad Wolf scenario..." I shiver, feeling the name rush through me. The Doctor mentioned those words following them, but this was something else.

"That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that." He comments. He turns to one of the trees. And she tries to figure out what we are. After enough of her insulting me, I am fed up.

"Whatever I am, it must be invisible. Do you mind?!" I sigh. "Tell you want, you two go and pollinate, I'm going to catch up with family." I look, trying to find the trampoline. "Quick word with Michael Jackson."

I walk off, and he calls after me, telling me not to start a fight. I smile. He either knows me too well, or not at all.

She's commenting on how she used to live on the planet, and all I want right now is to shut her up, because she's just making a fool of herself to anyone who knows the real history of Earth. Or even geography.

"So, what happened to the human race?"

She glances at me, as much as she can, mind, given that she has no head to turn. "They say mankind has touched every star in the sky."

"Then why are you the last human? There've got to be billions of them."

She glared. "I am the last pure human."

"Right, the last one who's currently no more human than I am Dalek."

She sneers at me.

"I was born on that planet. That makes me officially the last human being in this room, 'cos you're not human. You've has it all nipped and tucked and flattened till there's nothing left. Anything human got chucked in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin. Nice talking."

I walk away, only to walk into one of the cleaners of the Face of Boe. He's wearing a hood, and I glance up. I see Harry Potter grinning down at me.

"I forgot what it was like seeing you tear into people, Hermione. Or should I call you Rose Tyler."

I flung my arms around him, thankful for someone that I knew. "I found him."

"I know you did." I look up.

I sigh. "You're alive. So alive."

"You've seen my death." He said flatly. It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway, tears welling up in my eyes. "I figured, you know. The second I saw you in Grimmauld before that thing with the Master. You had more power. That only would have happened, if you'd seen..." He trails off. Something plays across his face.

When he looks back down at me, he grins. "Have you met the Face of Boe before?" I smile.

"Yes. You call him Bo-bo." Harry grins.

"That I do. He's a good man."

I smile, "Captain Jack Harkness always was." He snorts.

"So you know the secret. You know, Jack might want to see those memories again." I smile, but shake my head.

"I can't. The thing is, I'm taking the polyjuice potion, and pretending to be a muggle."

Something flickers in Harry's eyes, gone too fast for me to place. "Right. I forgot."

I blink. "Forgot what?"

He laughs nervously. "The boss would kill me if I answered that question. And it just might create a paradox." I frown.

"What?"

He laughs, trying to move on. "Promise you will know eventually, but right now I can't tell you at all." He glances at me. "I see you are still wearing Interface?"

I frown, glancing at my necklace. "Interface? Is that it's name. The future Doctor just gave it to me." Harry frowns.

"Damn, I think I am giving way too much away." He rubs a hand over his face. "This is so much simpler after..." He trails off, giving me a look.

"After what?"

"Can't say. Besides, I think your Doctor just came in. I suggest that we stop talking. We can't know each other, not yet."

I am honestly about to smack him, but he walks away before I can. I sigh, walking away, to almost run into a group called the Silence. They glance at me, and I see something rise up. It falls and I get knocked out.

* * *

I wake to the sound of a computer saying "Sun filter descending." I glance at the window, to see it slowly coming down. Brilliant time to be without my magic.

I run to the doors and start pounding on them. "Let me out!" I yell, over and over. Until I hear:

"Anyone in there?"

The Doctor. "Get me out!"

"Oh, well, it would be you."

I am going to smack him later for that. "Open the door!"

"Hold on, give us two ticks."

The sun fliter begins rising, and I sigh with relief. It starts falling again.

"Just what we need. The computer's getting cleaver." I glare at the door. I run to the panel, trying to work on things at my end.

I fix it quicker than he did. "Sun filter rising." With another few wires connecting, I open the slightly charred doors.

"How'd you do that?"

I roll my eyes. "Basic computer knowledge. Mickey good with computers, I picked up a thing or two." A straight up lie. I taught myself all I know about computers.

I run to the main room, to see everyone panicking.

The tree-woman, Jabe comes up, "The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."

Cassandra starts making a fuss, which I ignore. Harry gives me a nod, and I smile.

"Someone brought their little pet on board. Let's send them back to master."

He takes a little metal spider and everyone watches as it moves to Cassandra, before walking towards the Silence.

I sigh. "That's impossible. The Silence is a religious group. They couldn't be here in person, so they sent androids. Which is great for a distraction. Who's the real culprit?" Harry comments.

"Nice cover for the real trouble maker. Go on, Jimbo. Go home." The Doctor said, giving the spider a nudge. It goes and walks to Cassandra.

She glares. "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. At arms!" Her attendants raise their sprayer nozzles, and I raise an eyebrow.

The Doctor comments first. "What are you going to do, moisturize me?"

"With acid. Oh, you're too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face."

"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?"

"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous."

I snort. "Five billion years later and it still comes down to money."

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, not you Rose!"

"Actually, neither of you lot are the last human. Either of you. There's still me." Harry came forward, looking between Cassandra and me.

"And who are you?" Cassandra asked. He stepped in front of her, and looked straight at her. "Death! Death! Turn me away. He's Death! Spiders activate." She teleports away, leaving everyone in a state of confusion.

"Alright, I'm going to manually reset the computer, everyone stay put." Harry said, before disappearing himself.

I put my hand to my head, shaking it at Harry's actions. "Where'd pretty boy go?" The Doctor said, coming up to me.

"Probably to go reset the computers."

"Do you know him?"

I sigh. "I met him briefly, we talked."

"Right."

The glass in the windows starts cracking, and we all begin freaking out a little. And then:

"Exoglass repair." The computer repeated. The cracks begin to vanish, and all is right.

"Alright. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He walks over to the ostrich egg, and smashes it. "Idea number three, if you're as cleaver as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." The Doctor does something with the feed, and Cassandra is transported back in.

"People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them." I spoke, giving her a look. Harry appeared right behind me.

Cassandra gives me what might be a winning grin, "It depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court then, and watch me smile and cry and flutter."

The Doctor has an evil grin. "And creak?"

Cassandra frowns. "And what?"

Harry comes forward. "Creak. You're creaking."

Cassandra looks scared. "What? Ah! I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturize me, moisturize me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!"

"You raised the temperature." The Doctor commented.

Cassandra started pleading. "Help her." I all but yell at the Doctor, at Harry.

"Everything has its time and everything dies." I don't know which one says it, but I watch Cassandra, and turn away just before she snaps.

* * *

I look outside the window, staring at the end result of Earth. "The end of the Earth. It's gone. We were too busy saving ourselves. No one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just..."

I've been to the end of the universe. I've dealt with so much. But to see this, the end of the Earth. It was huge.

"Come with me." The Doctor takes my hand and leads me into the TARDIS. I sit in shock, still thinking back on the end of the Earth. He pulls me back out those doors, and we're in London again. On Charring Cross Road. People are going about their daily lives, and it feels so strange.

It's like the first time I went into Diagon Alley, when I was a child. Coming back to somewhere normal, where I grew up. Everything looked strange, warped, like it shouldn't be there, but it should at the same time.

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't. One day it's all gone. Even the sky. My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before it's time." The Doctor said, trying to empathize.

And I did. Empathize with him. More than I ever had before. To watch you home be destroyed, and not be able to do anything. To be the one to destroy it. I couldn't...

"What happened?" I asked.

He swallows. "There was a war and we lost."

"A war with who? What about your people?"

He looks away, staring into the distance, as if it would make the pain hurt less. It never did. "I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else."

"There's me." Which I'm going to continue to make happen.

He looks down at me. "You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?"

"I don't know. I want..." I pause, sniffing the air. "Oh, can you smell chips?"

He gives me a look. Something screaming, crazy human. "Yeah."

"I want chips." I said, internally pulling myself back together again.

"Me too."

I smile. "Right then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay."

"No money." He says, giving me a smile. I sigh.

"What sort of date are you? Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years till the shops close."

And we sat. We ate chips. Something so normal for me. I'd never done it with the Doctor before. With the other one, it was always run for your life, or 'oh we've got less than an hour to save this ship' or 'we need to stay put, and I need to detect timey-wimey stuff'. We'd never done anything like this.

As much as this version of the Doctor claims he doesn't do domestic, looking at him, here and now, this was pretty domestic. Grabbing a bite to eat.

What else would I learn about him and Rose?


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: Hello everyone. I can't believe how well received this story has been. I hoped you all liked the brief appearance of the Eleventh Doctor. And as for appearances, we've got Jenny and Jack appearing in this chapter from Doctor Who, and a brief mention of Professor Trelawney, Voldemort and Professor Snape. **If you would like to see a specific character appear, let me know. I will try to work them in.** I can't promise anything from the original Doctor Who, simply because I'm not confident enough in being able to write them properly.

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 3**: A Witch in the Morgue

We're back in the TARDIS, chips digesting slowly. The Doctor's doing something crazy with the console, telling me to hold down a control.

"Hold that one down!" He yells, pointing across the panel. I give him a look.

"I'm holding this one down."

He gives me a look back. "Well, hold them both down." I give the switch a look.

"It's not going to work." I call in a sing-song voice. I reach anyway, only to find that it does. Right, forgot that Rose's arms are longer than my own.

The Doctor's offended. "Oi! I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting. Now, you've seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860." He looks up from the screen he's reading. "How does 1860 sound?"

"What happened in 1860?"

He gives me a maniacal grin. "I don't know. Let's find out. Hold on, here we go!" He reminds me of the end of the universe. "_We shouldn't go._" And he gives Martha and I a look and jumps up and runs to the doors.

It hit me in the heart then. Would I always be comparing the two Doctors? If I was going to, why not include the other one, the one in tweed with a fez. I made a mental note. If I ever saw him again with the fez, I would destroy it. Set it on fire or something. It was a horrible hat.

The TARDIS jerks and both the Doctor and I lose our footing. "Blimey!" I yell, sitting up, wincing at the bruise I could feel forming on my arse.

"You're telling me. Are you alright?" He glances at me, concerned.

I smile. "Yeah. I think so. Nothing broken." I get up, glancing at the console. "Did we make it? Where are we?"

He gives me a grin. "I did it. Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860."

I smile back at him. "That's so weird. It's Christmas." The first Christmas I'd had in years. Jackie didn't want to celebrate it, understandably last year, and before that I was with the Doctor, and before that I was...

"All yours." The Doctor said. I snapped out of my thoughts.

I babbled a little. "But, it's like, think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once, just once and it's gone, it's finished, it'll never happen again. Except for you. You can go back an see days that are dead and gone a hundred thousand sunsets ago." I smile, more to myself, "No wonder you never stay still."

He smiles. "Not a bad life."

"Better with two." I blurt out, and almost cover my mouth, thinking I was with the other Doctor. "Come on then." I tried to act normal, but he must have seen something different in me. He gave me a weird look, but seemed to mentally shrug it off. I rush over to the doors, intent on opening them.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

I grin, "1860."

He gives me a once over. "Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella. There's a wardrobe through there." He gave me a series of directions I ignored, already moving.

Playing dress up was something new, I thought to myself, looking for a dress for the time period. Grabbing one, I look at it. Gryffindor red and black. Not to bad. I slip on a corset (blast things), before slipping on the dress, grab a pair of leather boots and go to do my hair. While doing so, the TARDIS touched my mind lightly, the barest hint of what she wanted to say got through the potion, but enough that she suggested I take some form of defence.

The Doctor had his sonic. Given as the potion cut off use of my magic, I grabbed the next best thing to my wand, my purse, which luckily seemed to match the dress. I smiled. I slipped the locket around my neck, and hid it under the neckline of the dress. I walked towards the console room, feeling strange in the dress.

I glance around, to see him underneath the console, working on something or other. I clear my throat and he glances at me. "Blimey!"

I give him a look. "Don't laugh."

"You look beautiful." He said, and then qualified the compliment, "Considering."

"Considering what?"

He smiles. "That you're human."

I roll my eyes. "I think that's a compliment. Aren't you going to change?"

He looks shocked. "I've changed my jumper. Come on."

I walk in front of him, stopping him. "You stay there. You've done this before." He gives me a look saying that he's humouring me. "This is mine." I walk the few steps to the door and open it. I gasp. It was snowing.

He's come up behind me, and almost scares me when he speaks. "Ready for this? Here we go. History."

We go towards the centre of the town, arm in arm. He stops to buy one of the newspapers and glances at it.

"I got the flight a bit wrong."

I suppress a snort. He should never bother pretending to be sure any more. "I don't care."

"It's not 1860, it's 1869."

I repeated my earlier sentiment.

"And it's not Naples."

I repeated it again, giving him a look for good measure.

"It's Cardiff." I swallow. The rift. My mind glances back to the Journal John Smith wrote, when he was human, and the urge to flip through it and find out what exactly happens is great. I grip my purse, attempting to not give into temptation.

"Right."

I swallow, dread welling up inside of me. And apparently elsewhere, because at that second, screams erupt from the theatre. The Doctor grins, takes my hand and says: "That's more like it!"

We run to the theatre in time to see a blue gas come out of a corpse, and it begins to fly around the room. The gas, not the corpse.

"Fantastic." The corpse collapses, and I frown. The Doctor runs up to the man yelling at everyone and asks questions. I glance back at the corpse to see a girl and an older man pick up the corpse.

"Oi! Leave her alone!" I yell back, telling him where I'm going. He tries to follow, but the crowd gets in his way. I run out the theatre, and see the two loading the corpse into the back of a carriage.

"What're you doing?!"

The woman, a maid from the looks (_Martha..._), talks to me, attempting to distract me. "Oh, it's a tragedy miss. Don't worry yourself. Me and the master (_a shiver runs down my spine_) will deal with it. The fact is, this poor lady's been taken with the brain fever and we have to get her to the infirmary."

I give her a look. "The woman is already starting to go into rigor mortis. She's dead." The maid looks behind me, and before I can react, a clothe is put over my mouth and I pass out.

* * *

I wake next to a dead man. "Damn." My head was pounding and I felt a little dizzy. I get up and look around. A mortuary. Something flickers, and I see the blue gas again. The man I woke up beside starts getting up.

"Well this isn't good. I can't see any spells, outside of the gas, which doesn't count, so it's definitely not inferi, so then what the hell is it?" I comment, backing away from the man. I run towards the only door in the room, and try the doorknob. Locked. "Perfect. Again defenceless without magic. Let's try the old stand by."

I begin pounding on the door. "Let me out! Open the door!" I sigh. "Please, please, let me out!" The kind of reanimated corpse grabs my shoulders. "Let me out! Someone open the door!" I give the corpse a good headbutt (the twins taught me how to fight dirty).

The door bursts open and I glance to see the Doctor. "I think this is my dance." He takes the corpse, pulling it away from me. Another man walks in, and I barely glance at him.

"It's a prank. It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence."

The Doctor glances back at him. "No, we're not. The dead are walking." He turns to me. "Hi."

I laugh. "Hi. Who's your friend?"

"Charles Dickens." I blink. Going into the past must be synonymous with meet famous dead authors in Gallifreyan.

"Right."

The Doctor turns back to the corpse. "My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"

The corpse replies, which is a little shocking. What's more, it replies in more than one voice. "Failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us. Argh!" The gas leaves, and the corpse collapses.

"Why not something peaceful? Ever?" I mutter under my breath.

* * *

By the time we move into the living room, I am wound. "First of all, you drug me, then you kidnap me, and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man." He tries to cut me off, glaring, but I've dealt with Professor Snape and faced down Voldemort. An old man doesn't scare me. "Then you stuck me in a room full of zombies! And if that ain't enough, you swan off and leave me to die! So come on, talk!"

He starts talking, claiming that whatever is happening is because of the house. I overhear Gwyneth and the Doctor's exchange, and follow her, instead.

She ends up in the pantry. I go to start washing up, and she tries to stop me. "Don't be daft. Sneed works you to death. How much do you get paid?"

"Eight pound a year, miss."

"How much?"

She gives me a little grin. "I know. I would've been happy with six." I close my eyes, feeling my frustration climb. She was barely treated better than a house elf!

I swallow. "So, did you go to school, or what?"

"Of course I did. What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper." Not what I was referring to, but a nice slide.

"What, once a week?"

"We did sums and everything." She gives me a little look, like she's asking me to keep a secret. "To be honest, I hated every second."

I smile back at her. "I would've too."

"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own."

I laugh. I use Rose's story to relate with her. "I did plenty of that. I used to go down the shops with my mate Shareen. We used to go and look at boys."

Gwyneth gives me a look, and looks away. "Well, I don't know much about that, miss."

"Come on, times haven't changed that much. I bet you've done the same." We continue along that line of conversation before she stops and looks at me.

"I swear, it is the strangest thing, miss. You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing." A shiver runs down my spine.

"Maybe I am. Maybe that's a good thing." I say, before frowning. "You need a bit more in your life than Mister Sneed." We chat about him for a little bit.

"Mister Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants, haven't you miss?" I think guiltily about the house elves for a moment.

"No, no servants where I'm from."

She took on a strange look. "And you've come such a long way."

I frown. "What makes you think so?"

"You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about half naked, for shame. And the noise, and the metal boxes racing past, and the birds in the sky, no, they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People are flying. And you, you've flown so far. Further than anyone. The things you've seen. The darkness. The Big Bad Wolf." I snap, grabbing her by the collar.

"Where did you hear that name?" I growl.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry miss."

I look at her, really good. And then I feel a presence in my head. She's a witch. Untrained legilimency. "Hogwarts." I said. She gives me a terrified look. "You've been to Hogwarts, haven't you?"

"H-How d-did-"

"Future graduate. Technically. Time travel." She nods. I put her down and smooth out her shirt. "Sorry. It's not a good thing."

"I couldn't finish paying for the lessons. My parents died when I was twelve. No money. Been trying to save up, but it is so expensive."

I sigh. "It's okay. You need to learn to control it."

"I can't help it. Ever since I was a little girl, my mam said I had the sight. She told me to hide it."

The Doctor's voice breaks us up. "But it's been getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?"

I turn, shocked to see him standing there. "Don't scare me like that!"

"All the time sir. Every night, voices in my head."

The Doctor nodded. "You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key." That doesn't sound good.

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir." She gives me a glance. "Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts."

The Doctor frowned. "Well, that should help. You can show us what to do?"

"What to do where, sir?

"We're going to have a séance." With that, he turned back from where he came, and I was about ready to hit him.

I ran after him. "It won't work. Divination doesn't work like that!"

* * *

"This is how my great auntie Cassandra Trelawney summons those from the Land of Mists. Come we must join hands."

I mutter to myself, "Just when I thought I got rid of the old hag."

"I can't take part in this." Dickens said, causing a bit of a fuss.

The Doctor frowned. "Humbug? Come on, open mind."

"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I strive to unmask. Séances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing." I hated to admit it, but I actually agreed with him.

"Now, don't antagonise her. I love a happy medium." I roll my eyes.

"I can't believe you just said that." He shot me a grin from across the table.

"Come one, we might need you." Dickens sighs, but sits down all the same. "Good man. Now, Gwyneth, reach out."

I felt my mind floating a little too. "Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits, come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." I start hearing whispering, and I drift further, and further before coming face to face with the blue gas.

"Who are you?"

"Pity us. Pity the Gelth. There is so little time. Help us." The gas turned red, and the shape became darker. They were lying pretending to get free of their prison.

"The Time War. The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged. Invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state." And that was the card. The card that made sure that the Doctor would help them.

"Open the rift. Let the Gelth though. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth."

Something snaps, and I come back to reality. Gwyneth seems to still be somewhere else. "Gwyneth? Are you okay?"

I get her into a chair and she sighs. "I'm fine miss." I give her a small smile.

I got for my purse and open it, grabbing a small bag of money. "Here. I don't know what's going to happen next, but the Doctor usually leaves quickly, so I may not be able to give you this. I hope it should be enough."

Gwyneth frowns at me. "Enough for what miss?"

"To complete your education." She smiles at me.

"This is too much. I can't take this."

I give her a smile. "I'm not asking you. And you're not taking. You're having. I've got plenty. I've saved the world a time or two."

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." She whispered. I throw my occulmency shields up, and she gives me an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"It's okay, you can't control it." I sigh. "You should get some sleep. Possession is not an easy thing to handle."

"But my angels, miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?"

The Doctor comes up behind us. "They do need you, Gwyneth. You're they're only chance of survival."

I growl at him. "I told you, leave her alone. She's exhausted." I stand, and he's about to comment back, which could possibly turn into a shouting match, when Sneed interrupted us, asking for the Doctor to explain aliens again.

"They can only test drive the bodies for so long, then they have to revert to gas and hide in the pipes."

"Which is why they need the girl." Dickens said, turning to Gwyneth and I.

"They're not having her." I say, standing in front of her. If the men in the room tried anything, they would soon learn why I kept the name the Big Bad Wolf.

The Doctor tried reasoning with me. "But she can help. Living on the rift, she's become part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge and let them through."

"Incredible. Ghost that are not ghosts but beings from another world, who can only exist in our world by inhabiting cadavers." Dickens said, awe on his face at the story. I scoffed.

"Good system. It might work."

I glare. "You can't let them run around inside of dead people."

"Why not? It's like recycling."

I had my argument, but it would have killed him, and I am pretty sure Rose Tyler doesn't know him enough to comment on that. "Seriously though, you can't."

"Seriously though, I can." I glare at him.

"It's just wrong. Those bodies were living people. We should respect them, even in death."

He sighs. "Do you carry a donor card?"

"That's different. That's-"

He cuts me off. "It is different, yeah. It's a different morality. Get used to it, or go home. You heard what they said, time's short. I can't worry about a few corpses when the last of the Gelth could be dying."

I sigh, knowing we could end up going around this argument in circles. "It's Gwyneth's choice."

Gwyneth looks at me, and nods. "I understand your thoughts miss, but here and now, I know my own mind, and the angels need me." She turns to the Doctor. "What do I have to do?"

In the back of my mind, I wish she would stop calling them her angels. Gas or stone, angels are never a good sign, anywhere near the Doctor.

"You don't have to do anything." The Doctor said, giving her a chance to opt out.

"They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my mam on a holy mission. So tell me."

I close my eyes, not wanting to watch this madness.

"We need to find the rift. This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mister Sneed, what's the weakest part of the house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?"

Ten pounds says the morgue. "That would be the morgue."

I sigh. "No chance you were going to say gazebo, is there?"

Mister Sneed leads us down to the basement, which was converted into the Morgue. "Urgh. Talk about Bleak House." The Doctor said, looking around the room. There are still a few cadavers lying under white sheets.

"The thing is, Doctor, the Gelth don't succeed, 'cos I know they don't. I know for a fact there weren't corpses walking around in 1869."

"Time's in flux, changing every second. Your cozy little world can be rewritten like that. Nothing is safe. Remember that. Nothing."

I could feel the anger rising in me. I shut my eyes, making sure that if they went silver, no one would notice. I felt the room get colder. And then I felt the coming.

"Here they come." A form of the gelth comes out of a gas lamp.

"You've come to help. Praise the Doctor. Praise him."

I tried one last time to help Gwyneth. "Promise you won't hurt her."

"Hurry! Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth." They completely avoided that topic. Great. This can't go wrong at all.

"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, all right?"

Gwyneth looked happy. "My angels. I can help them live."

I sigh, fearing the worst. "A bootprint doesn't look like a foot." I comment.

The Doctor grinned, oblivious. "Okay, where's the weak point?"

The Gelth...thing floated over, until it was under an arch. "Here, beneath the arch."

"Beneath the arch." And there is a flash. Gwyneth and the Doctor don't seem to notice, but there's suddenly more than just the five of us humaniods down here. I glance at the new arrival, to see the blonde from the Valiant. She winks at me, and steps underneath the arch with Gwyneth.

"You don't have to do this." I cry, hoping to stop everything from happening. Last time she showed up, nothing good happened.

"My angels." A shiver runs up my spine. It was starting.

The Gelth begin talking. "Establish the bridge. Reach out to the void. Let us through!"

"Yes, I can see you. I can see you. Come!"

"Bridgehead establishing."

"Come to me. Come to this world, poor lost souls!"

"It has begun. The bridge is made." Gwyneth opens her mouth and blue gas comes out.

"We've by-passed not good and hit very bad." I comment. The Doctor doesn't even turn my way.

"She has given herself to the Gelth. The bridge is open. We descend." The blue image turns red and grows sharp phantom teeth. "The Gelth will come through in force."

Dickens cries out, "You said that you were few in number."

"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses." The dead start getting up as the Gelth come pouring out, creating a whirlwind of air in the room. A corpse grabs Sneed and kills him by snapping his neck.

"I think it's gone a bit wrong." The Doctor comments, backing up. I follow him.

"We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead."

"And that's where I come in." A voice calls. A man in an military jacket comes down, and I recognize him as Captain Jack Harkness. He comes up and walks over to us. "Rose. Doctor."

"Who the hell are you?" The Doctor demands.

Jack frowns. "Ah, too soon. I'm part of your future, which you should probably forget when you get the chance." He said. He reaches for the Doctor, plants a kiss, and the moves to me, gives me a kiss, then runs for the arch. He disappears in a flash of light.

"Right." The Doctor commented. Reevaluating the situation, the Doctor looks at Gwyneth. "Stop them! Send the back now!"

"Three more bodies. Convert them. Make them vessels for the Gelth." The Doctor and I get backed up against a metal grate. Dickens runs off. The Doctor sonics open the gate and closes it shut, where we are now currently trapped. I sigh.

"But it's 1869. How can I die now?" I ask.

"Time isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape. You can be born in the twentieth century and die in the nineteenth and it's all my fault. I brought you here."

"It's not your fault. I wanted to come."

He laughs. "What about me? I saw the fall of Troy, World War Five. I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party. Now I'm going to die in a dungeon in Cardiff."

"It's not just dying. We'll become one of them." I look at the corpses "We'll go down fighting, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Together?"

He smiles. "Yeah." He grabs my hand. "I'm so glad I met you."

I give him a smile. He could barely imagine how much I returned the sentiment. "Me too."

At that moment, Dickens runs back into the room. "Doctor! Doctor! Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now, fill the room, all of it, now!"

"What're you doing?"

"Turn it all on. Flood the place!"

The Doctor grins. "Brilliant, gas."

I glare at the two of them. "So, what? We choke to death instead?"

"Am I correct Doctor? These creatures are gaseous."

The Doctor grins. He opens the gate and begins forcing his way through the room. "Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound."

The corpses start shuffling towards Dickens. "I hope, oh Lord, I hope that this theory will be validated soon, if not immediately."

The Doctor rips a gas pipe from the door. "Gwyneth, send them back. They lied. They're not angels."

Gwyneth looked at him, "Liars?"

"Look at me. If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!"

I found it getting hard to breathe, which was strange for me, given as I had spent sixty years with no air. Blasted potion. I voiced this observation aloud.

"Charles, get her out."

"I'm not leaving."

"Always a Gryffindor miss, but you need to." Gwyneth commented. "They're too strong."

"Remember that world you saw? Rose's world? All those people. None of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift."

"I can't send them back. But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out." She takes out a box of matches, and I struggle to stand up.

"You can't!"

"Leave this place!"

The Doctor turned to me. "Rose, get out now. Go now. I won't leave her while she's still in danger. Now go!" Dickens all but drags me out of the house. We're on the street when we hear the explosion. I fall to my knees.

"Oh god." I said, tears welling up in my eyes. The Doctor appears a moment later, and I stand and fling my arms around his neck. "She didn't make it."

He pulls back and looks at me. "I'm sorry. She closed the rift."

Dickens sighs. "At such a cost. The poor child."

"I did try, Rose, but Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least five minutes." I flinch.

"What do you mean?"

"I think she was dead from the minute she stood in that arch."

"But she can't have. She spoke to us. She helped us. She saved us. How could she have done that?"

Dickens had the answer. "There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Even for you, Doctor."

I held in a sob. "She saved the world. A servant girl. No one will ever know."

The Doctor guided us back towards the TARDIS. "Right then, Charlie boy, I've just got to go into my, er, shed. Won't be long." The Doctor said.

"What are you going to do now?" I asked, grinning slightly at the man.

"I shall take the mail coach back to London, quite literally post-haste. This is no time for me to be on my own. I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital." I smiled, when inside I wanted to cry. My family. My friends. Harry, Ron, Luna, the twins.

"You've cheered up."

"Exceedingly! This morning, I thought I knew everything in the world. Now I know I've just started. All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor. I'm inspired. I must write about them."

I gave the Doctor a glance, "Do you think that's wise?"

"I shall be subtle at first. The Mystery of Edwin Drood still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this Earth. The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Blue Elementals. I can spread the word out, tell the truth."

"Good luck with it. Nice to meet you. Fantastic."

"Bye then, and thanks." I said, kissing his cheek.

He blushes a little. "Oh, my dear. How modern. Thank you, but I don't understand. In what way is this goodbye? Where are you going?"

"You'll see. In the shed."

"Upon my soul, Doctor, it's one riddle after another with you. But after all these revelations, there's one mystery you still haven't explained. Answer me this. Who are you?"

The Doctor grins. "Just a friend, passing through."

"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you. My books. Doctor, do they last?"

"Oh, yes!"

"For how long?"

"Forever. Right. Shed. Come on Rose."

"In the box? Both of you?"

"Down boy. See you." We walked into the box.

I give him a look. "Doesn't it change history if he writes about blue ghosts?" I ask, intimately familiar with his work to know blue ghosts never popped up.

"In a weeks time it's 1970, and that's the year he dies. Sorry. He'll never get to tell his story."

I sigh. "He was so nice."

"But in your time, he was already dead. We've brought him back to life, and he's more alive now than he's ever been, old Charlie boy. Let's give him one last surprise." He grins at me, and pulls a few knobs, and the TARDIS goes into the time vortex.

I smile back at him, and am about to sit back in the jump seat when I notice there is a bag on it. I pick it up, recognizing it as my money purse, which I gave to Gwyneth. Attached is a note:

Dear Miss Rose,

Thank you for the thought, but I have been saved by a woman named Jenny. She says I won't be needing this where I am going.

Sincerely,

Gwyneth


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 4**: Interlude

The TARDIS was quiet.

"So, what's Hogwarts?" The Doctor asked, nonchalant. I almost choked on my spit.

I thought quickly, and settled on the truth. "My old school."

"Thought you said you dropped out."

I swallowed. He didn't give me time to reply. He looked up from what he was doing, and looked into my eyes. "You've been lying to me. Why?"

I close my eyes, tears welling up. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" He asked, coming closer.

I opened my eyes back up, and glare at him. "You aren't supposed to know."

"And you think you can decide this for me."

I turn away from him, and he stops me. "I have to. Otherwise the world goes kaput. Goodbye. So long. Nice to see you. We're fucked."

"Right. Tell me the truth." He said, his face telling me he was having none of that.

"I swear I can't."

"Why not?"

"You're impossible!" I yell, throwing my hands up in the air.

He follows me. "No, only improbable."

I turn back to him. "Can you just trust me?"

"How can I do that when you won't tell me the truth about anything?"

I glare. "You want the truth?" I grab his hands, "I'll give you the truth." I force them on my temple, and establish a mental connection. The last thing I see in the physical world is his surprised face.

We end up in my mindscape.

"How did you..." He trails off, looking around the circular room. There were four sets of visible doors, and one that was fading slowly. "Where are we?"

"My mindscape." I said. He looked down at me.

"You look different. Are you a shape-changer?" He asked, frowning.

I smile. "Not exactly. This is my real form. I'm using a form of technology to look like Rose Tyler."

"So she is real?" I nod. "Then where is the real Rose Tyler?" He asked.

I didn't get to answer him, because Amelia Saxon walked out of one of the doors, not bothering to shut it behind her. "Hello, who are you? My name is Mia Saxon."

The Doctor smiled. "It's nice to meet you Mia." Amelia Saxon's image blinked and flickered, like static on a television, and she disappeared. "Was it something I said?" I sigh, and run over to the door she'd entered from. I shut it, locking it from the outside.

"Technically yes. Think of her like a computer program. You calling her by her name shuts her down, and makes her reappear in her room. Only rather then disappear completely, she seems to be stuck in here, which is why I normally keep her locked up, where she can't get free."

"Why is she even in here?"

I sigh. "It's a long story, but the short of it is, I needed to not be able to remember who I am, so I locked the room and made it look like her's was the only place in my head. Unfortunately, I was rushed, which is why she is now stuck here."

He nodded, seeming to understand. Before stopping, mid-nod. "You've suddenly changed your tune. Tellin' me all this. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to block your memories of this. And anything that's made you suspicious of me." I said, not looking at him.

He nodded. "Alright then, just to let you know, I'm gonna fight you the whole way, but if you do manage it, I wanna know. Why am I not allowed to know who you are?"

"I'm from your future. You told me about Rose Tyler, and when something happened to her, to make it so that she couldn't partake in her path, I had to try and bandage the wound that she made. The only reason why I'm here was because of Rose Tyler."

He decides to change the topic. "What's behind the other doors?" I glance around the room.

Sniffing, I answer him. "Well this one is Amelia's, or Mia, as she's called." I point to the door I locked, and then turn to the one to the left. It was a pale pink door, nondescript. "That's where the memories of Rose Tyler are." I turn to the next one, a portrait, much like the one at Hogwarts, only with a picture of a howling wolf. "That's where Balfowd resides." There was a second portrait, this one of my family, "That's my memories." The door that was fading away was next. "That's the memories of a nurse at a school in 1913. It's a long story." He grins. I turn to the final door, a set of double doors, old and heavy. "And this," I said, opening the doors, "This is my room."

Inside was a library, much like Hogwarts, where you would need a map and provisions to get to the right books. But mine was a little more organized. He wanders into it, glancing down the rows. I follow him, watching where we were going. He stopped in front of the Bestiary section. Down the rows were numerous books, each a specific colour, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. The titles held names of creatures, alien and magical.

"What's with the colours?" He asked, stepping down the rows.

I smile. "It's a classification system. Purple is boring creatures. Blue, domesticated or harmless. Green, competent people should cope. Yellow, dangerous, and normally requires specialist knowledge. And orange is know killers. Basic classification system of my old school."

He glances, finding one of the few red books. "And red?" He asks, pulling out the book and opening it.

A holographic image of the face of his next incarnation appears, and begins talking. "_Fascinating race, the Weeping Angels. The only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely. No mess, no fuss, they just zap you into the past and let you live to death. The rest of your life used up and blown away in the blink of an eye. You die in the past, and in the present they consume the energy of all the days you might have had. All your stolen moments. They're creatures of the abstract. They live off potential energy._" I take the book from him, close it, and put it back on the shelf.

"Red is the Doctor's brand of trouble." I comment, and he grins.

He glances down the rows, before stopping at a book labelled Time Lords. It was purple. "Oi!" He said, pulling forcefully out of the shelf. I snicker, knowing he would be offended. Inside, the cover was it's proper colour, green, but I figure he would have found his way in here eventually, why not have a joke. "I'm boring?" He asks, giving me an unamused look.

I smile. "No, I know you're telepathic, which means you would have found your way in here eventually. Easiest way to find you, because when you found that, you would have made noise." He snorts. Putting the book back on one of the lower shelves, he walks back to the centre of the library. We walk down past aisles with maps, before he stops at an aisle with glass balls littering the shelves. He turns down, and picks one up.

Immediately the audio memory starts playing. Harry's voice says: "_There is something that will come to pass. You will doubt that it should ever have happened, but it should. Darkness is going to fall, quite a few times. You are going to get really angry with him even more often. But trust me when I say this, never, ever, give up fighting. You've told me a thousand times that it is so worth it in the end._"

Another audio track comes up, this one the tweed wearing Doctor's voice says: "_I'd live my life a hundred more times, willingly, if I knew where I ended up. Trust me._" I take the ball from him, and place it back on the shelf, where it quiets down.

"What are these?"

I sigh. "Audio memories, of important things I know I should remember." He reaches, and grabs another one before I can stop him. Harry's voice floats up again, "_I don't know if you will understand this, but it is very important that you remember it until you do. Headquarters will be revelled when you solemnly swear. Okay? Will you remember?_" The clip stops, and starts up again. I remove it from his hand.

"Who are you?" He asks, looking at me. I sigh, knowing this question was going to come eventually.

"I swear. If I could tell you, I would. But I can't. You can't know my name."

"You're from my future." He said. It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway. "I've regenerated." I nod again, not trusting myself to speak. "Right then."

He walks away from the orbs and I follow behind.

He stops, turns to me and asks, "Will you give them back?" I blink, not following his thoughts. "My memories. Will you give them back?"

I clench my teeth. I think a moment. "Promise, when I run into you, after all this, I will." He nods, shaky.

"You're right. I shouldn't know this." He commented, looking around the library. "You know my future. That's always dangerous." He looks at me, looks me right in the eyes, and says, "I'm not going to fight you."

I swallow, heavily. I nod.

"Do what you have to do." He said. I close my eyes, tears threatening to fall, and reach into my pocket, taking out my wand. My magic worked inside of my mind, no matter what. I sigh.

I reach to touch his cheek, and point the wand at his temple. Concentrating, I whisper a horrible word.

"Obliviate."

* * *

When I woke from the trance of being in my mindscape, I found I was in my old room. The Doctor was no where to be found. Whispers in my mind from the TARDIS told me he was in his room. If he had any left over memories, he would think of them as a dream.

I let the tears I've been holding in since I saw him again fall. I cried for a few minutes before steeling myself. I nod, moving towards doing something productive, like getting myself out of this bloody corset.

I changed quickly into something average and unpacked my bag, placing the vials of potion in the en-suite bathroom. I sigh, looking around the room, thinking back to old times, before pausing.

"How did she re-create my room if I haven't created it yet in the first place?" I ask to myself, frowning.

The TARDIS hums, like she's laughing at me.

"Oh, ha ha." I said sarcastically. "Make fun of the silly human girl."

She hums again, this one sounding negative.

"Oh, you're not making fun of me?" I ask, well aware that if anyone on Earth saw me, I would be locked in a nut house, faster than I could blink. The TARDIS hummed again, negative. "No, I'm not a silly human girl?" I ask, frowning. "What do you mean?" She hummed once more, a non-committal hum, and didn't hum again, no matter how long I yelled. Sighing, I exited my room, shutting the door. I swallow, noticing it was pale pink on the other side.

I walked slowly to the console room, looking for the Doctor, only to find he wasn't there. Frowning, I walk down the halls, wondering where he'd gone to. I didn't know this version very well. He could be anywhere.

I tried the library, more out of habit than anything else, and found him, glancing over the shelves, frowning. I walk in, and he turns to me.

"Hello, have a nice nap?" He asks, before turning back to the books. "You silly apes, sleep half your life away, you do." I smile.

"Sure." I said. I glanced around the room, noticing that the seating arrangements were different in this time, than previously. The loveseat the Doctor and I used to share when talking about major, life altering things was gone. I sigh, sinking into a chair. "What are you looking for?"

"A red book." He commented. I frowned. He shouldn't have any left over memories. He grabs a book, and it is red. The spine reads, A Christmas Carol.

Right, Dickens and the ghosts on Christmas. That seems like half a lifetime away now. "A Christmas Carol? Why not Great Expectations?" I ask. "Why Dickens at all for that matter?"

"You kindin?" He asks, shooting me a heart-broken look, or what would be one, if he wasn't smiling. "Big fan, me. He's great. Fantastic getting to meet him."

I laugh. "What about Shakespeare?"

The Doctor scoffs. "He's a playboy. Amazing though. Fantastic too."

"Agatha Christie?"

And we were talking about books. Bits and pieces, our favourite works. Clay Furr and the Magician's Rock, by J.K. Rowling. Some famous future novels.

It was domestic. At least a little bit. Domestic as hell. He put the novel away, and he tried sitting on the arm of another chair. It was fine until he got too excited and fell. I laughed, and he frowned.

"We might need different chairs." He muttered.

* * *

We ended up back in the console room, and I smiled. "Alright then. Where to next?"

"Could we visit my mum?" I asked, smiling a little bit. He frowned.

"I suppose."

Watching him fly around the console, I decided to vow to myself. I would stop thinking about the other Doctor. Both of the other Doctors. I would get to know this man before me. The forgotten soldier. The wounded man.

I would concentrate on the now. Because I am pretty sure that is the only way I am going to be able to get through all of Rose's adventures with the Doctor. Focus on the now. Not his future. Not my past. The Now. Only the Now.

* * *

**A/N**: Alright, so the book Clay Furr and the Magician's Rock is the equivalent of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It's short, but the rest of the chapters are extremely long.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, GryffinPuffGirl and Emaelin, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: So, this episode has a Weasley in it. Hope you all like it.

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 5**: A Visit to Downing Street

I look around the Powell Estate, after stepping out of the TARDIS. I turn back to the Doctor. "How long have I been gone?"

"About twelve hours after the phone call." I nodded.

"Oh. Right, I won't be long. I just want to see my mum." And pick up some of the herbs I forgot during my haste packing of my bag.

He stops me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "What're you going to tell her?"

I give him a smile. "I don't know. I called her from the year 5 billion, and came back to see Charles Dickens and it's only been twelve hours since we talked? Naw, I'll just tell her I went to France or something. See you later. Oh, don't you disappear!" I say, giving him a look, while I was walking backwards. He waved and I turned around, confident that he wouldn't swan off.

The walk back to Jackie's flat was familiar and short. I unlocked the door, and put my keys in the bowl. "I'm back! Sorry I didn't call. We went to France, can you believe it? Are you in?" I walk down the small hall, and see Jackie sitting at the table. She's staring me. "How've you been? What? What's the face for? I told you I'd be travelling."

The cups she's holding falls to the floor, smashing into small pieces. "It's you."

"It's Mia me, not um..." I trail off, awkwardly, unsure of what she's freaking out about.

"Oh, my God. It's you. Oh my God." She throws her arms around me. I take a glance at the table, which has various missing posters. The door gets slammed open, and I hear the Doctor's heavy boots running.

"It's not twelve hours, it's twelve months. You've been gone a whole year." I turn and look at him. "Sorry."

Jackie's furious. I talk her down from calling the police, and get her to sit down.

But she jumps right back up. "The hours I've sat here, days and weeks and months, all on my own. I thought you were dead, that the call was just a hoax, or someone trying to cover their tracks to..." She stops herself. "Where were you? Travelling. What the hell does that mean, travelling? That's no sort of answer."

"That's what I was doing." I said, trying to get her to calm down some.

She's still mad. "When your passport's still in the drawer? It's just one lie after another." She said, pointing a finger in my face.

"I haven't lied to you." I said. "I meant to phone. I really did. I just forgot."

"What, for a year? You forgot for a year? And I am left sitting here. I just don't believe you. Why won't you tell me where you've been?"

The Doctor decides to speak up on my behalf. "Actually, it's my fault. I sort of, er, employed Rose as my companion."

"Your companion? He takes you places and screws you on the side?" Jackie said, livid.

"No!" The Doctor and I yell together.

"Then what is it? Because you, you waltz in here all charm and smiles, and the next thing I know, she vanishes off the face of the Earth! How old are you then? Forty? Forty-five? What, did you find her on the internet? Did you go online and pretend you're a doctor?"

The Doctor's indignant. "I am a Doctor."

I knew that was the wrong thing to say. Jackie gets that look on her face. "Prove it. Stitch this, mate!" She slaps the Doctor, hard.

I talk her down and get her quiet, and she's crying holding me in the kitchen. "Did you think about me at all?"

"I did. All the time."

"One phone call, one more phone call. Just to know I didn't imagine it."

"I'm sorry, I really am."

She sighs. "So this is him then? I thought you said he had hair."

I snort. Typical Jackie. "He can change his face."

"Like that potion you drink?"

I smile. "Only his is permanent. He doesn't have to take it constantly."

* * *

The Doctor and I end up talking on the roof, away from Jackie, who's called the police to let them know I did try to call, but missed her the whole time. She's a lot better a liar than I am.

"She's never going to forgive me. And I missed a year. Was it good?"

"Middling." I snort.

"You're so useless."

He looks at me. "Well, if it's this much trouble, are you going to stay here now?"

"I don't know. I can't do that to her again, though."

"Well she's not coming with us."

"No chance."

"I don't do families."

I laugh. "She slapped you!" No wonder when the old (next?) Doctor talked about Jackie, he always looked terrified.

"Nine hundred years of time and space, and I've never been slapped by someone's mother." I snort. Apparently, Jackie started a trend, thinking of Martha's mother.

"Your face."

"It hurt!"

"Wait, you said nine hundred years?"

"That's my age."

"You're nine hundred years old." I was over a century old, but I had no idea about the real age gap.

"Yeah."

I smile. "My mum was right. That is one hell of an age gap." I sigh. "Every conversation with you just goes mental. There's no one else I can talk to. I've seen all that stuff up there, the size of it, and I can't say a word. Aliens and spaceships and things, and I'm the only person on planet Earth who knows they exist."

A spaceship decides at that moment to come from behind us, trailing black smoke and heading towards the Thames. It misses the bridge, and St. Paul's. It ends up in the river, almost completely taking out the Clock Tower. The tower chimes and the spaceship ends up in the river.

"Oh, that's just not fair." I said, getting up. The Doctor grabbed my hand and we ran to the road, which was already closed off by the army.

"It's all blocked off."

I sigh. "We're miles from the centre. The city must be grid locked. The whole of London must be closing down."

"I know. I can't believe I'm here to see this. This is fantastic!"

"Did you know this was going to happen?" I asked shooting him a look.

"Nope."

"Do you recognize the ship?"

"Nope."

"Do you know why it crashed?"

"Nope."

I sigh. Rolling my eyes, I say "I'm so glad I've got you."

"I bet you are. This is what I travel for, Rose. To see history happening right in front of us."

I grin. "Well, let's go and see it. Never mind the traffic, we've got the TARDIS."

"Better not, They've already got one spaceship in the middle of London. I don't want to shove another one on top."

I frown. "Yeah, but yours looks like a big blue box. No one's going to notice."

"You'd be surprised. Emergency like this, there'll be all kinds of people watching. Trust me. The TARDIS stays where it is."

I give him a look. "So history's going to happen, and we're stuck here."

"Yes, we are."

I sigh. "We could always do what everybody else does." I said, pulling him back towards the flat. At his look, I elaborate. "We could watch TV."

The Doctor planted himself in front of the telly, and ignored everyone else in the room, except to shush them.

Jackie's friend ends up coming over, and then more and more people show up. It turns into a little bit of a welcome home party, and I try to ignore it as best as possible. By mainly staying in Rose's room, packing a little more. I poke my head out when I hear the Doctor's combat boots go by. I follow him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He turns and looks at me. "Nowhere. It's just a bit human in there for me. History just happened and they're talking about where you can buy dodgy top-up cards for half price. I'm off on a wander, that's all."

I give him a look, telling him I'm not buying it. "Right. There's a spaceship on the Thames and you're just wandering."

"Nothing to do with me. It's not an invasion. That was a genuine crash landing. Angle of descent, colour of smoke, everything. It's perfect." I frown. That shouldn't be perfect.

"So?"

"So maybe this is it. First contact. The day mankind officially comes into contact with an alien race. I'm not interfering because you've got to handle this on your own. That's when the human race finally grows up. Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay. Now you can expand. You don't need me. Go and celebrate history. Spend some time with your mum."

I wish I could spend some time with my mum. "I was huddled away in my room, remember."

"Enjoy being human, Rose." I sigh, knowing he's not going to budge on this.

"Promise you won't disappear?"

He smiles, and begins fishing through his pockets. "Tell you what. TARDIS key. It's about time you had one. See you later." He said, handing me the key, and he walks off.

I return to the room, in time to see Jackie and everyone toasting to the 'Martians'. I sigh. Humans. That thought stops me cold. Oh dear. I've been travelling with the Doctor too long. I'm starting to think like I'm not human.

The room quiets, and everyone turns to me. Or rather, behind me. I turn and see Mickey.

I think quickly on the spot. "I was going to come and see you."

One of Jackie's friends wanders over drunk. "Someone owes Mickey an apology."

"I'm sorry." I say, assuming it's me.

"Not you." I turn to Jackie.

"Well, it's not my fault. Be fair. What was I supposed to think?" I frown, grab Mickey and drag him into the kitchen. I shut the doors, and turn to him, but he is livid.

"You disappear, who do they turn to? Your boyfriend. Five times I was taken in for questioning. Five times. No evidence. Course, there couldn't be, could there? And then I get her, your mother, whispering around the estate, pointing the finger. Stuff through my letter box, and all 'cos of you." I look down, focusing on my arm.

"I didn't think I'd be gone so long."

"And I waited for you, Rose. Twelve months, waiting for you and the Doctor to come back." Ridges were starting to form. I frowned. Why would that happen?

"Hold on." Jackie said, turning to Mickey. "You know about the Doctor? Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Yeah, yeah. Why not, Rose? Huh? How could I tell her where you went?" The ridges started forming, until they began spelling out letters. M – U – D – B – L...

"I need my potion." I said, getting up.

Mickey frowns, and gets in front of the door. "Not until you tell me where you went." He paused. "Might as well, 'cos you're stuck here." My heart sank. "The Doctor's gone. Just now. That box thing just faded away."

I blinked. My vision was going blurry. I couldn't tell if it was because the potion was wearing off, or if my eyes were filling with tears. Either way, I shut my eyes.

"What did he do to you Rose?" Mickey asked, voice going soft. I felt my hair start to change, and this part both Mickey and Jackie noticed. "What's happening?"

Jackie looked concerned. "Sweetheart, do you have anymore here?" I nod. "Alright. I'll go get you some then." She left the room, and closed the door behind her.

The last of the potion left and I looked at Mickey.

"What the hell happened to you Rose?"

I sigh. I should have told him earlier. "It's not Rose, actually."

"Did she die, and you're just a replacement, a drone or somethin'?" Jackie comes in, carrying a vial. I take it, and thank her.

She stops me from drinking it right away. "He deserves to know the truth."

"You knew about this Jackie. That this isn't Rose. She's dead, isn't she? He killed her and he'll kill all of us next." Mickey said. He started hollering, so I cast a silencing charm automatically, waiting for him to calm down. It only freaked him out more.

"Alright. I've taken away your voice. Jackie and I are going to explain things, and then I am going to give it back. Under no circumstances are you to yell. And then you are going to explain what you mean when you said the Doctor left." He glared at me, but nodded.

Jackie and I took turns explaining. I took over for her when she was about to cry, and I explained the technical stuff. When we were finished, Mickey looked emotionless.

I took the silencing spell off of him. "Alright, any questions?"

"How long? How long have you pretended to be her? How-" He trails off.

"Eighteen months before I left." I answered quietly. His lips tightened.

"I saw the box fade away. He's long gone." I downed the potion, stopping only long enough to drop the vial and make sure it worked before running out of the apartment and down the stairs, Jackie and Mickey hot on my toes.

"He wouldn't just go, he promised me."

I get to where the TARDIS was supposed to be, and fall to my knees.

"But he gave me a key. Only permanent companions get a key. Frequent flier privileges." I mutter, searching my pockets for the key. I bring it out, looking down at it. It starts to glow, and I feel the wind on my face, and hear the TARDIS materializing.

"How'd you do that then?" Jackie asked, dumbfounded.

I yank open the door, and he glances up from the controls. Seeing my face he starts talking. "Alright, so I lied. I went and had a look. But the whole crash landing's a fake. I thought so. Just too perfect. I mean, hitting Big Ben. Come on, so I thought let's go and have a look-"

I cut him off. "My mum's here."

He frowns. "Oh, that's just what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic." Mickey comes running in, apparently shaking off shock.

"You ruined my life, Doctor. They thought she was dead. I was a murder suspect because of you."

He turns to me, giving me a look. "You see what I mean? Domestic."

"I bet you don't even remember my name."

"Ricky."

"It's Mickey."

"No, it's Ricky."

"I think I know my own name."

"You think you know your own name? How stupid are you?"

I check outside while the boys are fighting to see Jackie run. She takes off, and I try following her. Trying to explain, but I can't keep up. I go back to the boys.

"That was a real spaceship." I said, looking at the Doctor. I glance at the TARDIS, and see _Bad Wolf_ spray-painted on this side inn silver. A shiver goes up my spine.

"Yep."

"So it's all a pack of lies? What is it, then? Are they invading?"

Mickey snorts. "Funny way to invade, putting the world on red alert."

"Stranger things have happened." I comment. Shakespeare and witches, Dickens and ghosts. A human trampoline who claims she's the last human, to name a few.

"Good point!" The Doctor said, ignoring my comment. "So, what are they up to?"

The Doctor runs into the TARDIS and Mickey and I follow. The Doctor ducks under the console, and Mickey frowns.

"So, what're you doing down there?"

"Ricky."

"Mickey."

"Ricky. If I was to tell you what I was doing to the controls of my frankly magnificent time ship, would you even begin to understand?"

"I suppose not."

"Well, shut it then." I roll my eyes.

"Some friend you've got."

"He's winding you up." I sigh. "I'm sorry."

"Okay."

I sigh again. "I am though."

Mickey looks close to crying. "Every day I looked. On every street corner, wherever I went, looking for a blue box for a whole year."

I give him a watery smile. I hug him, whispering in his ear. "Now you know how I felt." He nods, like he's forgotten who I explained I was. I pulled away. "It's only been a few days for me."

"Not enough time to miss me then?" I glance at him. Either he's taking this rather well, or he's still in shock a little.

"I did miss you."

"I missed you." He hugs me again, and whispers in my ear, "I figured something was different about you. Just didn't want to say. Friends?" He asked, I nodded.

We pull away completely from each other. "So, er, in twelve months, have you been seeing anyone else?"

"No."

"Okay."

"Mainly because everyone thinks I murdered you."

I frown. "Right."

"Got it! Ha, ha!" The Doctor said from the console. I jog over to the screen, and watch the image which has the trajectory of the spaceship on it. "Patched in the radar, looped it back twelve hours so we can follow the flight of that spaceship. Here we go. Hold on. Come on." He stops, focusing on the line that showed that the ship came from and landed on Earth. "It came from Earth in the first place. It went up and came back down. Whoever those aliens are, they haven't just arrived, they've been here for a while. The question is, what have they been doing?"

I frown and the Doctor begins pacing back and forth. I take the channel changer, and begin channel-hopping. Mickey leans down, watching.

"How many channels do you get?"

The Doctor replies automatically. "All the basic channels."

"You get sports channels?"

"Yes, I get the football." He glances at the screen and frowns. "Hold on, I know that lot."

The woman on the telly says: "_It is looking likely that the Government's bringing in alien specialists – those people who have devoted their lives to studying outer space._"

"UNIT. United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. Good people."

I frown. "How do you know them?" I'd never heard of UNIT before. "Are they like Torchwood?" He frowns, not having heard the name before. I frown too. Mickey answers my question.

"'Cos he's worked for them." At the Doctor's shocked look, Mickey smiles. "Oh yeah, don't think I sat on my backside for twelve months Doctor. I read up on you. You look deep enough on the Internet or in the history books, and there's his name, followed by a list of the dead."

"That's nice." The Doctor said. I frowned, knowing that it was probably painful, hearing about the dead for him. "Good boy, Ricky."

I change the subject. "If you know them, why don't you go and help?"

"They wouldn't recognize me. I've changed a lot since the old days. Besides, the world's on a knife-edge. There's aliens out there and fake aliens. We want to keep this alien out of the mix. I'm going undercover. And er, I'd better keep the TARDIS out of sight. Ricky, you've got a car. You can do some driving."

"Where to?"

The Doctor walked to the TARDIS doors. "The roads are clearing. Let's go and have a look at that spaceship." He opened the doors, and I followed right after him, only to walk into a police barricade.

"Do not move! Step away from the box and raise your hands above your heads." Mickey takes off, and I don't blame him. Jackie comes out of the flat and sees me.

"Rose!" She gets moved out of the way, and tries calling me again.

"Raise your hands above your head. You are under arrest." The Police said, and one of them comes up in front of us.

"Take me to your leader." The Doctor said, surprisingly with a straight face. I burst out laughing, and he gives me a grin. We get ushered into a police car.

"This is a bit posh. If I knew it was going to be like this, being arrested, I would have done it years ago." He smiles at me, and I try to blink back the memories of the last few times I was taken away forcefully.

"We're not being arrested, we're being escorted."

I blink. "Where to?"

"Where'd you think? Downing Street."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not."

"10 Downing Street?" I internally frown. Last I checked, Downing Street was destroyed in some sort of accident. Harry Saxon was upset. Or maybe it had been rebuilt? I really didn't remember.

"That's the one."

"Oh, my God. I'm going to 10 Downing Street? How come?" I pretend to be a regular human being, who hasn't had tea with the queen on a regular basis before being locked away in a freak show, and left for sixty years without air. He frowns, but ignores it.

"I hate to say it, but Mickey was right. Over the years I've visited this planet a lot of times, and I've been, er, noticed."

I blink. "Now they need you?"

"Like it said on the news. They're gathering experts in alien knowledge. And who's the biggest expert of the lot?"

"Patrick Moore?" I ask, grinning.

"Apart from him."

I laugh. "Oh, don't you just love it."

"I'm telling you. Lloyd George, he used to drink me under the table. Who's Prime Minister now?"

I snort. "How should I know? I missed a year." And I didn't pay attention to the Muggle Prime Minister. The car stops and the Doctor slips out. I follow. Cameras flash, and the Doctor waves. I laugh at him, and drag him inside, used to the cameras.

We end up in a large room with a bunch of experts.

"I say the Minister will hear about this!" A voice called, out and I froze, recognizing it. I turn and see bright red hair. Percy Weasley. What was he doing here, of all places?

One of the women stop everyone, and get people to quiet down. She gets everyone to wear the ID cards. A tall, large man comes over to us.

"Here's your ID card. I'm sorry, your companion doesn't have clearance." I snort internally. I'm tempted to ask him to call up the queen and ask her for my clearance.

"I don't go anywhere without her." The Doctor said, forcefully.

"You're the code nine, not her. I'm sorry, Doctor. It is the Doctor, isn't it? She'll have to stay outside."

One of the men in suits that were littering the room came up. "Actually sirs, she will have to come with us. Just a precautionary measure."

"Look, Doctor. I'll just go with them. It'll be okay." He frowns but nods. The man in a suit leads me away.

"Just through here miss." He said, pointing me to a door.

Inside, leaning against one of the tables, was Percy Weasley. I glanced around the room. Magical security.

"Here's the girl you asked for sir."

Percy nods, and dismisses the man. We are the only two left.

"So would you like to tell me why you are pretending to be a dead woman? Who's pretending to be a dead woman? And then you can tell me who you are."

I snort. "Honestly, Percy. We talked about Transfiguration classes during the opening feast in my first year. Good enough?" Percy got up in shock.

"You're alive."

"Time-travel." I answer back at him. He nods, understanding what that meant. I couldn't tell him the details, nor could he mention this to anyone else.

"Alright. I'll give you access, but I can't re-grant your clearance." He said. I nodded. "I will be nice and escort you out though."

I nod, and he leads me, until we almost bump into a redheaded woman. Percy nodded to her. She offered to lead me out herself. He left me with her, and she took my arm.

"Walk with me. Just keep walking. That's right. Don't look around. Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North." I nod, and she leads me past the front doors. "That friend of yours, he's an expert, is that right? He knows about aliens?" She asked. I immediately assumed she was talking about the Doctor, because I doubt she thought Percy was an alien expert. She leads me into the cabinet room. I have a vague recollection of this during my time as Amelia.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked, frowning at her. She starts crying and I try to console her. She gets out her story in sputters and spurts, and ends with:

"They turned the body into a suit. A disguise for the thing inside!"

I sigh. "It's alright. I believe you. It's, it's alien. They must have some serious technology behind this. If we could find it, we could use it." I get up and begin searching the room. I open a cupboard, only to have a dead man fall on me. "Oh, my God! Is that the-"

Just then the guy we were talking to earlier steps in. "Harriet, for God's sake. This has gone beyond a joke. You cannot just wander. Oh, my God. That's the Prime Minister!" I snort. I recognize Harriet Jones from the time spent being the future Prime Minister's wife. The old dead Prime Minister, his successor, and her successor's wife, all in the same room.

And then a large blonde woman comes in, looking at us. "Oh! Has someone been naughty?"

The assistant still seemed to be in shock. "That's impossible. He left this afternoon. The Prime Minister left Downing Street. He was driven away!"

The blonde woman smiled a creepy smile. I dropped the Prime Minister, and she looked at me. She turned back to the assistant. "And who told you that, hmmm? Me."

She reaches up to her hairline and starts unzipping something.

And all I can think about is the ironic Prime Minister thing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, GryffinPuffGirl and Emaelin, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: So the chapter after this is where canon starts being deviated from. Just a little bit.

**A/N 2**: Please, someone tell me what they think of Maria. I'm not asking for my health. I'd like to know so that I know about my skills as a writer. Because I really can't tell, given as I know all of the characters secrets, and every little thing I say about a character feels like 'everyone is going to know the secret'.

**A/N 3**: I am currently in university, and my studies are a priority. Knowing that, please be forgiving when I don't post as often.

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 6**: Nothing Good Can Come of This

She opens up her forehead, and there's a bright light coming out. She wiggles out of it, and I see first hand what Harriet was talking about. Green aliens, in people suits. She grabs the assistant and throws him against the wall. Suddenly, she starts having electricity pop out of her collar, and Harriet and I hightail it out of there.

She turns back. "No wait. They're still in there. The emergency protocols. We need them." She turns, but the green alien is already getting up from whatever happened, and is starting to move towards us. I grab Harriet's arm, and force her to run.

We get cornered, and then the lift dings. The Doctor waves as the lift opens. "Hello." I use the distraction to sneak behind the alien and we make a run for it, the alien chasing us after a second.

We enter a sitting room, and I hiss "Hide!" I hide behind a cabinet, and wait.

I can smell when the alien enters. "Oh, such fun. Little human child, where are you?" I'm about to growl out that I bet I am older than her, but I stop myself. "Sweet little humeykins, come to me. Let me kiss you better. Kiss you with my big green lips." I make a run for it, and end up hiding behind a curtain.

I smell more of them come in.

"My brothers." The female said.

"Happy hunting?"

"It's wonderful. The more you prolong it, the more they stink." I clench my teeth.

"Sweat and fear."

"I can smell an old girl. Stale bird and brittle bones."

"And a ripe youngster, all hormones and adrenaline. Fresh enough to bend before she snaps." The curtain gets pulled back, and I take a swing, getting her in the eyes.

"No! Take me first! Take me!" Harriet said.

The Doctor decides to crash the party, bringing in a fire extinguisher. I sigh. Of all the things. "Out, with me!" I take the curtains, and while the female is still disorientated from the punch, I wrap them around her and run to the Doctor.

"Who the hell are you?" The Doctor said, glancing at Harriet.

Harriet grabs her ID and flashes it. "Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North."

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." The Doctor runs out of CO2 in the can, and decides to throw it at the aliens.

We run, all the while, the Doctor saying, "We need to head to the Cabinet Room." Oh, the memories.

"The Emergency Protocols are in there. They give instructions for aliens." Harriet said, running with us.

"Harriet Jones, I like you."

"And I like you too."

We run into the room, and the Doctor grabs a bottle of some form of alcohol. "One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof, we all go up. So back off." The aliens take a step back.

"Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?" I hold back a snort. Green aliens named the Slitheen. That explained a lot.

"They're aliens." Harriet answered.

"Yes. I got that thanks."

"Who are you, if not human?

Harriet looked around. "Who's not human?"

"He's not human." I said, gesturing to the Doctor.

"He's not human?" She asked, eyes wide.

"Can I have a bit of hush?" The Doctor said, not even glancing back at us.

Harriet looked a little put out. "Sorry."

I frown. "So, what's your plan?"

"But he's got a Northern accent." Harriet said.

I smile at him. "Lots of planets have a north."

"I said hush. Come on. You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of government. What for, invasion?"

One of the Slitheen looked put out. "Why would we invade this God-forsaken rock?"

"Then something's brought the Slitheen race here. What is it?"

"The Slitheen race?"

"Slitheen is not our species. Slitheen is our surname. Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen at your service."

"So your a family." I said, glancing at them.

"A family business."

"Then you're out to make a profit. How can you do that on a God-forsaken rock?" The Doctor said, giving me a look that said shut up.

"Ah, excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability?"

The Doctor blinked. "Is that what I said?"

"You're making it up."

"Ah, well! Nice try." He throws the drink over his shoulder and Harriet catches it. "Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it."

"You pass it to the left first." Harriet commented, giving me the Red Box.

"Sorry."

I take it, and say thank you. "Now we can end this hunt with a slaughter."

I raise my eyebrows. "Don't you think we should run?

The Doctor ignores me. "Fascinating history, Downing Street. Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mister Chicken. He was a nice man. 1796, this was the Cabinet Room. If the Cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain. End of lesson." He lifts a small panel to his right and pushes a button. Metal shutters crash shut around the windows and doors. He turns back to us. "Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining in every single wall. They'll never get it."

My brain seems to be one step ahead of him. "And how do we get out?"

"Ah."

My phone rings. I pick it up. Mickey.

"How are you doing?"

"_Well, I just save your mother from an alien._"

"Right, try again."

"_No, no, no, no. Not just an alien, but like, proper alien. All stinking and wet and disgusting. And more to the point, it wanted to kill us!_"

"Is she alright, though? Don't put her on, just tell me." The Doctor takes my phone from out of my hand and starts talking on it, fast telling Mickey how to hack onto a military website. He plugs the phone into the conference phone speaker.

"Say again." The Doctor asked, frowning.

"_It's asking for a password._"

"Buffalo. Two Fs one L." (_Tallulah, three Ls and an H._)

I hear Jackie in the background. And Mickey comes on loud and clear. "_All the secret information known to mankind. See, they've known about aliens for years, they just kept us in the dark._"

"Mickey, you were born in the dark." The Doctor said.

"Leave him alone." I sigh. The boys would never stop this would they.

"_Thank you. Password again._"

"Just repeat it every time." He glances at the two of us. "Big Ben – why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben?"

"You said to gather the experts, to kill them." Harriet said, frowning.

"That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon. You don't need to crash in the middle of London."

I tried. "The Slitheen are hiding, but then they put the entire planet on Red alert. What would they do that for?"

"_Oh, listen to her._"

I snapped back at Jackie. "At least I'm trying." I'm about to snarl. This is my life. It's been my life since the Doctor rescued me from the Freak Show. Battling bad people has been my life since Harry and Ron rescued me from troll in the girls' bathroom, all those years ago.

"_Well, I've got a question if you don't mind. Since that man has walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and Rose disappear off the face of the Earth._"

"I told you what happened."

"_I'm talking to him. 'Cos I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it, and maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me. Just answer me this. Is my daughter safe?_"

I blinked. She'd referred to me as her daughter. "I'm fine."

"_Is she safe? Will she always be safe? Can you promise me that? Well, what's the answer?_"

"Mom, safe is relative. I could be crushed by a lorry, or..." I trailed off. I blinked back tears.

"_We're in._" Mickey was back on the phone.

The Doctor gave instructions. I thought about what I was going to say next '_or stabbed with a knife by a stranger._'

A signal came through and I focused on it.

"It's some sort of message."

"What's it say?"

"Don't know. It's on a loop, keeps repeating."

The doorbell rings over the phone. I can hear Mickey and Jackie squabling. "It's three o'clock in the morning." "Go tell them that."

The Doctor continues to work on his puzzle.

"_They've found us._"

"Mickey, I need that signal."

I shove him out of the way. "Never mind the signal, get out! Mum, just get out! Get out!"

"_We can't. It's by the front door._" He pauses, and then says, "_Oh, my God, it's unmasking. It's going to kill us._"

Harriet looked up. "There's got to be some way of stopping them! You're supposed to be the expert! Think of something!"

"I'm trying!"

"_Just run!_" We hear, but it's only half the conversation.

"That's my mother." I said, looking at the Doctor. Or really, the only woman who's actually been my mother in the past century.

"Right, if we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from. Which planet? So, judging by their basic shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within travelling distance. What else do we know about them? Information!"

He turned to Harriet and I, who started rattling off anything we could think of.

"Yes!" He cried after a few seconds. "That narrows it down to one planet. Raxacoricofallapatorius!"

"_Oh, yeah, great. We could write 'em a letter._"

"Get into the kitchen!"

Jackie screams something, but the phone doesn't pick it up. "Calcium, weakened by the compression field. Acetic acid."

"Vinegar!" I yelled, grinning. He smiles at me.

"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet cries out.

The Doctor nods. "Just like Hannibal! Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"

"_How should I know?_"

"It's your kitchen."

I sigh. "Cupboard, by the sink, middle shelf."

"_Oh, give it here. What do you need?_" Jackie said on the phone.

"Anything with vinegar mum!"

Jackie stars muttering about what she finds.

The Doctor's eye brows raise. "And you kiss this man?" I glare at him.

"_We're okay._"

I turn to the Doctor, asking the question that's been burning in my mind for a few minutes. "Hannibal?"

"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar."

Oh. I nodded. Mickey's voice comes back on the line. "_Listen to this._"

A news report, and what sounds suspiciously like one of the Slitheen talking about nuclear war and weapons of mass destruction.

I swore. "Mickey, I need your help. Use your home phone and call this number." I rattled off a number. "I need you to tell them Code Granger. Ask to speak to Percy Weasley. And then let me talk to him. You might need to remind him of my name."

Both Harriet and the Doctor give me a funny look. After a moment, another voice came on the phone. "_Miss Tyler, I thought Ms Jones walked you out._"

"Oh, still a grumpy prefect at heart, aren't you Percy."

"_Please tell me this is you secretly wanted to hear my voice and ran a false alarm._" Percy said, sighing.

"Where's the fun in that?" I ask laughing. "You've got numerous hostile aliens in Downing Street. They're wearing people suits and can be taken out with vinegar."

"_I'd ask if this is a prank, but that's more the twin's area of expertise. Alright, I'll get a team to cover the area. Anything else?_"

"We've got three people up in the Cabinet Room that would like to get out soon, myself included." I said.

"_And if I guess, I would also say that there is also the man you cam in with, and Miss Jones there as well._"

"Hello." The Doctor said, amicably.

"_Why is it every time you pop up and into our lives, the world needs saving? I'm starting to think the bad luck thing was all you, not Harry._"

"Oi!" I yelled, faking cross.

"_Well, see you in a few minutes, BB._"

The phone line went dead, and Mickey's voice came back on the phone. "_Since when do you have connections in the government?_"

I laugh. "You'd be surprised at the connections I've got. Don't call that number again, okay. And don't mention Code Granger either."

"_Is this one of those, I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you sort of things?_"

"Naw. It would just cause an undue amount of panic. The Doctor's got Code Nine, I've got Code Granger."

The phone in the room ringed. I shared a look with the Doctor, and then picked it up.

"_Rose?_"

"Percy? What are you doing calling this number?"

"_Code Granger has been discontinued._"

"What do you mean?"

"_You've been officially declared dead._"

"Talk to the twins, tell them that the man in the blue box gives them permission."

"_I'd love to, but they've been declared missing._"

"What do you mean, missing?"

"_I mean,one day, a little after you were officially declared dead, their shop closed and they haven't been heard from since._"

"Damn it. All the other names I can give you haven't happened yet."

"_What do you mean?_"

"Can't say Perce, Time-travel."

"_I forgot. Sorry I couldn't have been more help._"

I say goodbye and hang up the phone. "It's not happening. We need to come up with idea two."

"_Alright Doctor. I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do._" Jackie said.

Harriet tries hairbrained ideas, but I'm all out too. "Mickey, any luck?"

"_There are loads of emergency numbers. They're all on voicemail._" Mickey came through the phone.

Harriet looked grim. "Voicemail dooms us all."

"If we could just get out of here." I said, thinking aloud.

The Doctor heard me. "There's a way out."

I sigh. "What?"

"There's always been a way out." He replied.

I glare at him. "Then why don't we use it?"

He looks at the phone. "Because I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe."

"_Don't you dare. Whatever it is, don't you dare._"

The Doctor looked torn. "That's the thing. If I don't dare, everyone dies."

"Do it." I said, looking at him.

He turns back to me, looking me in the eyes with surprise. "You don't even know what it is. You'd just let me?"

"Yeah."

"_Please. Doctor. Please. She's my daughter. She's just a kid._"

"Do you think I don't know that? Because this is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will." He looked at me and I glared at him.

"Then what are you waiting for?" I demanded. Having to crane my neck to look into his eyes.

"I could save the world, but lose you."

Harriet Jones interrupted us. "Except it's not your decision, Doctor. It's mine."

"_And who the hell are you?_" Jackie cried from the phone.

Harriet swallowed. "Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people, for the people. And on behalf of the people, I command you. Do it."

The Doctor gave her a dark look, but I ignored him. "How do we get out?"

He turns back to me, sadness in his eyes. "We don't. We stay here." He takes out the Red Box and pulls out a bunch of paper.

He explains his plan, and I call for Percy, hoping to find out if there were any wards we didn't know about that would prevent this from happening. The Doctor barks orders at Mickey, who is following them to a tee.

"Fire." The Doctor said. Harriet Jones looked concerned at the walls.

"How solid are these?"

The Doctor frowned, sadness coating his face. "Not solid enough. Built for short range attack, nothing this big."

I hang up the phone, confident in my knowledge now. "Alright, now I'm making the decision. I'm not going to die. We're going to ride this one out. It's like what they say about earthquakes. You can survive them by standing under a doorframe. Now, this cupboard's small, so it's strong. Come and help me. Come on!" Harriet and I rush to empty the cupboard, while Mickey's giving play-by-play to the Doctor.

I crouch and the Doctor joins us. Percy's evacuating downstairs, something he can do. The shock wave hits us and I clutch the Doctor's arm. Things start falling, but the door stays fine.

When it stops, the Doctor is the first one up. He opens the door, and Harriet Jones remarks, "Made in Britain." One of the aids comes rushing over.

"Oh, my God. Are you alright?"

Harriet seems to go right into action. "Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North. I want you to contract the UN immediately. Tell the ambassadors the crisis is over. They can step down. Go on, tell the news." The man salutes her and runs off. "Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out. Oh, Lord. We haven't even got a Prime Minister."

"Maybe you should have a go." The Doctor commented.

"Me? Huh. I'm only a back-bencher."

"I'd vote for you."

"Now don't be silly. Look, I'd better go and see if I can help." She turns and walks towards the press down the street.

"Rose!" Someone calls. All I see is a flash of red hair before I'm swooped up.

"Percy, put me down." I said, glaring at him.

"Thought you were dead."

I snort. "I'm like Harry. Takes a hell of a lot to kill me." The Doctor has a frown on his face, and I change the subject, letting him know that he doesn't have to fight with Percy. "How's Penny doing?"

"Very well, we're having our first born soon." He smiles, like an expecting father. "Any suggestions for names?"

I smile. "Mia, it's always good. Or Rose." He laughs and hugs me again.

"If you get a chance, stop by, please."

I look at him. "You can't tell anyone. At all, Perce." He nods, and takes off after saying goodbye.

The Doctor looks towards where Harriet went. "I thought I knew the name. Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms. The architect of Britain's Golden Age."

We're back at the flat. At least I am. The Doctor's gone to the TARDIS, checking on her. Mum's going off about Harriet Jones.

"Who does she think she is? Look at her, taking all the credit. Should be you on there. My daughter saved the world!" Jackie said, yelling at the telly.

"You called me your daughter." I said quietly.

She looks at me. "You practically are. Been taken care of you, haven't I, Hermione?" I smile at her. "And since when have you had military connections?" I laugh.

"Know the queen too."

She laughs. "Right, pull the other one."

"Anyway, I think the Doctor helped a bit."

Jackie rolls her eyes. "Alright then, him too. You should be given knighthoods."

"Got one thanks. And that's not the way he does things. No fuss. He just moves on. He's not that bad if you give him a chance." I comment. I doubt it, but maybe Jackie will like him a little bit in the end. Or I could wake up from this crazy dream and end up back in the Freak Show.

"He's good in a crisis, I'll give him that."

I laugh."Oh now the world has changed. You're saying nice things about him."

She sighs. "Well, I reckon I've got no choice. There's no getting rid of him since you're infatuated."

I gape. "I am not infatuated."

"What does he eat?"

I frown at the sudden change of topic. "How do you mean?"

"I was going to make shepherds pie. All of us. A proper sit down, 'cos I'm ready to listen. I wanna learn about you and him and that life you lead. Only, I don't know, he's an alien. For all I know, he eats grass and safety pins and things."

"He'll have shepherd pie. You're going to cook for him?"

Jackie frowned. "What's wrong with that?"

"He's finally met his match."

Jackie glared. "You're not to old for a slap, you know." She walks out of the room. My phone rings and the caller ID says it's the TARDIS.

"Hello?"

"_Right, I'll be a couple of hours, then we can go._"

I blink. "You've got a phone?"

"_You think I can travel through space and time and I haven't got a phone? Like I said, couple hours. I've just got to send out this dispersal. There you go. That's cancelling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up._"

"Er, my mother's cooking."

"_Good. Put her on a slow heat and let her simmer._"

I roll my eyes. "She's cooking tea. For us."

"_I don't do that._" He sounded darker.

I sigh. "If you want you can think about it like a torture session, rather than tea."

"_No_."

"She's my mother."

"_Well, she's not mine._"

"That's not fair."

"_Well, you can stay there if you want, but right now there's this plasma storm brewing in the Horsehead Nebula. Fires are burning ten million miles wide. I could fly the TARDIS right into the heart of it then ride the shock wave all the way out. Hurtle right across the sky and end up anywhere. Your choice._"

"And we can do both." I sigh. "Nice try though." He grumbles. "Please. It's just tea, nothing more. Food. I'm sure we can find you a banana, if you'd like."

"_Fine. But I want that banana now._" I roll my eyes at his childish attitude.

After tea, with a lot of grumbling from both Jackie and the Doctor, we were about to be off. The Doctor had gotten whoever it was that graffiti-ed the TARDIS cleaning it off. He was just about done.

"Good lad. Graffiti that again and I'll have you. Now, beat it."

Mickey comes up to us, holding a newspaper. "I just went down to the shop, and I was thinking, you know, like the whole world's changed. Aliens and spaceships all in public. And here it is." He thrusts the headliner at us, and it reads _Alien Hoax_. "How could they do that? They saw it."

"They're just not ready. You're happy to believe in something that's invisible, but if it's staring you in the face, nope, can't see it. There's a scientific explanation for that. You're thick." I smack him one. "Ow!"

"We're all just idiots." Mickey said.

The Doctor sighed. "Not all of you. Present for you, Mickey." He hands Mickey a CD case. "That's a virus. Put it online. It'll destroy every mention of me. I'll cease to exist."

"What do you want to do that for?" Mickey asked, frowning.

The Doctor sighed. "Because you're right, I am dangerous. I don't want anybody following me."

Jackie comes out and I run to her, giving her one final hug. She's trying to convince me to stay, but I can't.

"I'm not leaving because of you. I'm travelling, that's all, and then I'll come back." I said, looking at her.

"But it's not safe."

I laugh. "Haven't been what you'd consider safe since I was twelve." I sighed. I turn back to the Doctor. "Last time I stepped in there, it was spur of the moment. Now I'm signing up. You're stuck with me."

I turn to Mickey and give him a hug.

"Come with us. There's plenty of room."

The Doctor frowned. "No chance. He's a liability, I'm not having him on board."

"We'd be dead without him." I argued.

The Doctor looked at me. "My decision is final."

I turn back to Mickey. "Sorry."

"Good luck, yeah." He said, giving me one final hug.

Jackie turns to the Doctor, intent on tearing him a new one. "You still can't promise me. What if she gets lost? What if something happens to you, Doctor, and she's left all alone standing on some moon a million light years away. How long do I wait then?"

I give Jackie a hug. "I'm a smart girl, I'll find a way back. And mum, you're forgetting. It's a time machine. I could go travelling around suns and planets and all the way to the edge of the universe, and by the time I get back, yeah, ten seconds would have passed. Just ten seconds So stop worrying. See you in ten seconds' time, yeah?" We hug once more, and I go into the TARDIS. I drop my bag down and he starts up the dematerialization sequence.

I look at him. "Thanks, for that. It meant a lot to her."

"Don't mention it." He said, not glancing back at me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, GryffinPuffGirl and Emaelin, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: So the chapter after this is where canon starts being deviated from. Just a little bit.

**A/N 2**: Please, someone tell me what they think of Maria. I'm not asking for my health. I'd like to know so that I know about my skills as a writer. Because I really can't tell, given as I know all of the characters secrets, and every little thing I say about a character feels like 'everyone is going to know the secret'.

**A/N 3**: I am currently in university, and my studies are a priority. Knowing that, please be forgiving when I don't post as often.

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 7**: Dalek

The Doctor frowned, glancing at the screen. A few switches and we were moving, being pulled into another time and place. We stop, and I step out.

It had been almost a month of travelling since I'd seen Jackie last, and the Doctor had just gotten twitchy about something.

"So what is it? What's wrong?"

"Don't know. Some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course." I nod, knowing she did that on occasion.

I look around. We're in an area that's dimly lit, and like a museum. Big display cases everywhere. "Where are we?"

The Doctor looks around. "Earth. Utah, North America. About half a mile underground."

I frown. "When are we?"

He looks at a display case. "Two thousand and eleven." I spot a light switch, and turn it on.

"Blimey. It's a great big museum." I glance around, seeing the display cases had alien bits and bobs.

He glances in another case. "An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby. They must have spent a fortune on this. Chucks of meteorite, moon dust. That's the milometer from the Roswell spaceship."

I glance in another case. "That's a bit of Slitheen! That's a Slitheen's arm. It's been stuffed."

"Oh, look at you." I glance to what he was looking at. It was a big silver head.

I frowned. "What is it?"

"An old friend of mine. Well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old." I looked at it.

I glance down the hall, seeing an astronaut (a good old fashioned astronaut), followed by two aliens dressed in black and white suits. They were grey and had large heads.

I turned to the Doctor to tell him, but forgot what I was going to tell him. I shake my head, frowning. "Is that where the signal's coming from?"

"No, it's stone dead. The signal's alive. Something's reaching out, calling for help." He touches the case, and an alarm goes off. Men in black get-ups and guns came pouring in from all sides.

I sigh. "If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you Exhibit A."

We get lead to a large office, where a man with a big moustache was sitting. I didn't like him. He reminded me of Harry's uncle.

"What does it do?" He asked. There was a kid, maybe a little older than Mickey, holding something silver in his hand, showing it to Moustache.

The kid spoke. "Well, you see the tubes on the side? It must be to channel something. I think maybe fuel." Unlike Moustache, the kid was British.

"I wouldn't hold it like that." The Doctor spoke up, glancing at the object.

The woman who lead us in glared. "Shut it." I roll my eyes.

"Really, though, that's wrong."

The kid frowned. "Is it dangerous?"

The Doctor grinned. "No, it just looks silly." He reaches for the item, and the other men with guns who'd followed us in began to get ready to use aforementioned guns.

Moustache hands it to him. It's palm sized, and looks beautiful, and modern. The Doctor grinned, holding it differently than Moustache and the kid did. "You just need to be..." He stroked it, and music comes out, "delicate." He continues stroking it, hitting different notes. I give him a grin. He smiles back.

Moustache smiled. "It's a musical instrument."

"And it's a long way from home." The Doctor said, frowning.

Moustache reached for it. "Here, let me." He tries, but it's really horrid.

"I did say delicate. It reacts to the smallest fingerprint. It needs precision." The Doctor said, watching the man. He finally gets the hand of it. "Very good. Quite the expert."

Moustache looks at him. "As are you." He tosses it aside, and I frown. "Who exactly are you?"

"I'm the Doctor. And who are you?"

Moustache laughs. "Like you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artifacts in the world, and you just stumbled in by mistake."

The Doctor's expression doesn't change. "Pretty much sums me up, yeah."

"The question is, how did you get in? Fifty-three floors down, with your little cat burglar accomplice. You're quite a collector yourself, she's rather pretty." He said, glancing to me.

I sneer. "She's going to smack you if you keep calling her she."

Moustache looks at me with a grin, which I long to smack off his face. "She's English too! Hey, littler Lord Fauntleroy. Got you a girlfriend." I glare, and give the kid a look, telling him not to even try it.

"This is Mister Henry Van Statten." The kid says.

I roll my eyes. "And who's he when he's at home?"

"Mister Van Statten owns the internet." I give Moustache a look. I look back at the kid.

"Don't be stupid. No one owns the internet."

"And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way, right kids?" I wanted to smack him again. The Doctor and I's collective age would be over one thousand years. We weren't kids in any sense.

The Doctor tries to defuse me by changing the subject. "So you're just about an expert in everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up."

I swallow. That doesn't sound good. "And you claim greater knowledge?"

"I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am." I snort. Everyone glances at me, including the Doctor with a mock hurt look.

Moustache looked amused. "And yet, I captured you. Right next to the Cage. What were you doing down there?"

"You tell us." I said, giving Moustache a look.

Moustache smiles. "The Cage contains my one living specimen."

"And what's that?"

Moustache smiles. "Like you don't know."

"Show me."

"You want to see it?"

I roll my eyes. "Blimey you can smell the testosterone."

Moustache looks at me, and starts yelling out orders. "Goddard, inform the Cage we're heading down. You, English. Look after the girl. Go and canoodle or spoon or whatever it is you British do. And you, Doctor with no name, come and see my pet."

The kid (Adam, I learn) and I are sent down to his workshop, followed closely by guards.

"Sorry about the mess. Mister Van Statten sort of lets me do my own thing, so long as I deliver the goods. What do you think that is?" He asked, pointing to what looked like a lump of metal. I voiced that opinion. "Yeah. Yeah, but I think, well, I'm almost certain, it's from the hull of a spacecraft. The thing is, it's all true. Everything the United Nations tries to keep quite, spacecraft, aliens, visitors to Earth. They really exist."

If I didn't know the Doctor better, I would have thought Adam sweet. But I did, so that made him more annoying. "That's amazing." I said, sarcastically. Adam didn't pick up on it. I glanced at the calendar. April 22, 2011. Good Friday. Strange. Something in me recognized that date. I shake my head, and notice that Adam has been continuing on with whatever he was talking about. I sigh.

"So, how'd you end up here?" I asked, cutting him off.

He frowns, but answers the question. "Van Statten has agents all over the world, looking for geniuses to recruit."

"Oh right. You're a genius."

He laughs. "Sorry, but yeah. I can't help it. I was born clever. When I was eight, I logged onto the US Defence System. Nearly caused World War Three." He laughs uproariously. I give him a look.

"What, and that's funny, is it?" I may have been a little twitchy about that comment, but in all fairness, I did just almost have to deal with World War Three about a month ago.

"Well, you should've been there just to see them running about. Fantastic!" He's grinning.

I laugh a little. "You sound like the Doctor."

"Are you and him?" He tried to explain what he meant in some form of sign language, and face twitches, but he lost me.

I shrug. "Dunno yet. We're good friends though." I want to know what it is going on in the 'Cage', so I manipulate Adam a little bit. "So, wouldn't you rather be downstairs? I mean, you've got these bits of metal and stuff, but Mister Van Statten's got a living creature down there."

Adam glances at me for a moment, almost mournfully, but then springs into action. "Yeah. Yeah, well, I did ask, but he keeps it to himself. Although, if you're a genius, it doesn't take long to patch through the comm. system." I give him a grin.

"Let's have a look, then."

Adam jumps on a computer, and starts typing. "It doesn't do much, the alien. It's weird. It's kind of useless. It's just like this great big pepper pot." I froze at the words 'pepper pot'.

It can't be. But the screen that's pulled up says it is.

Daleks.

"Take me down there now." I said, watching it being tortured.

We get stopped outside of the Cage, but Adam gets us through. I go inside the Cage.

Adam tries to give me some advice, but I ignore it. "Hello. Are you in pain? My name's Rose Tyler. I've got a friend, he can help. What's your name?"

"Yes." The Dalek said. It was beaten and worn down, but the voice was recognizable anywhere.

I blink. "What?"

"I am in pain. They torture me, but still they fear me. Do you fear me?" I swallow.

Maybe this was Dalek Caan? He did have a timeshift, and disappeared. The question, right. "No." I said, trying to make it less cautious around me. And then I realize that it is actually true. I don't fear this creature. I frown, trying to figure out why.

"I am dying."

"No, we can help." I said, trying to be sympathetic.

The Dalek didn't listen or ignored me. "I welcome death. But I am glad that before I die I have met a human who was not afraid." I frown. That was weird. The Doctor said that Daleks were only truthful, which made me confused.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"My race is dead, and I shall die alone."

"The Time War." I spoke, showing my knowledge. "Your people are called the Daleks. But there are no more. All the Daleks are gone. They all died. You're the last one. That must be horrible."

"I do not know such feeling."

"That's horrible on it's own. I'm from the future a bit, myself. I've been to the past, where there was a Dalek, but he wasn't a Dalek any more. He was part human. He had emotions." I sigh. "He said 'If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you.'"

"Perhaps it is time to die then." The Dalek said.

I feel horrible. "Then you shall not die alone." With that, the room was silent. And the light went out on the Dalek's eye stalk. It was dead.

Unfortunately, whoever was listening caught wind of the fact that I said I was from the future. The second I exited the cage, I was dragged into another one, thankfully this one was with the Doctor. I was strapped down. I turn to the Doctor, trying to laugh this off. "What'd they catch you for?"

"Being an alien. You?"

"I may have said I'm from the future." And then Moustache walked in.

He looks at me. "I hope you aren't planning on removing my shirts, because I will sue."

He ignored my comment. "A little birdy told me that you're from the future."

"Well, your little birdy got it wrong. I've been to the future, I'm not from the future. There's a difference."

"Than what is mankind's future?"

I think I might actually have some fun with this. The Dalek is dead. "Well, in the end, all of the human race goes to this one planet, see, and asks to find Utopia. Now the Doctor and I, we've got to go and make sure they can get there, eventually. But a bad guy takes them, and tries to turn them into killing machines. He succeeded, at least, now the human race is this round metal ball, with blades that come out the side. And the bad guy creates a paradox and they kill most of the human race, except this one girl, who's another good friend of the Doctor. She travels all over Earth, and saves it. The End."

He frowns. "And you made that up on the spot, didn't you?"

I smile. "Some of it. The other bit really does happen. Kind of. It gets stopped, which means I really don't know what happens."

He looks at me a moment, before saying, "Scan her. See if she's alien too."

"No need. Born and raise on Earth. Look me up, Rose Marion Tyler." He gets one of the techs to look up the name.

"She has two dates of death, sir." The tech said.

Moustache grins. "Doesn't sound human to me." And then the machine was pointed back at me.

"No, don't she's human. I can confirm it myself." The Doctor said, fighting his bonds.

Moustache looked at the Doctor. "Scan her."

The laser hit my body, and I screamed. I screamed because it was supposed to hurt. But it didn't. I may not be able to access my magic, and I may have to deal with Rose Tyler's accent, but I still had Hermione Granger's nerves, which means that I didn't feel a thing. I stopped screaming for real, and began faking it. Moustache's eyes went up.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" I ask, giving him a look.

"Scan him." And that's when I got mad. The second the Doctor started screaming, I could feel Bad Wolf, coming through her portrait door in my head, and taking over. The last thing anyone saw in that room, was my silver eyes.

* * *

I don't remember how, but I wake up on the TARDIS. The Doctor is dressed, and so am I, and we're passed out on the grates of the ship.

"Oh, my head." I said, sitting up.

I glance over at the Doctor, who's still out, and frown. What had that laser done to him. The infirmary would help answer some of those questions. With the help of the TARDIS, I was able to get him there. I had the TARDIS do a quick scan, loading up the information on the table. I was reading through the information the TARDIS gave me when he came to. I helped him sit up.

"How many times did that bastard zap you with that thing?" I demanded. Bad Wolf wouldn't let me know what happened before, and what she did to all those people, except bring up the image of fish.

"A few." He muttered.

I looked at him, concerned. "How are you feeling?"

"Been worse."

I smile at him. He couldn't be feeling too bad then. "The TARDIS said, outside of residual pain left over, you should be fine. And she even gave you something for that."

"Can't have aspirin."

I sigh. "Your ship knows you quite well. Don't you think she would have stopped me if I was thinking aspirin?" I handed him a vial of anti-cruciatus. I didn't want to think about how the TARDIS had that on board if I hadn't even arrived yet.

"What's that?"

I sigh. He was going to be a child about it. "Dunno. Your ship picked it out. When I opened the cupboard, this was all that was there." He frowned, and I went lightning quick to his nose, which made him open his mouth. I dumped the potion down his mouth and shut it. He glared at me.

"That's horrid." He frowned. "You should have some too."

"Why?" I asked, going to wash out the vial.

I could hear him frown. "Didn't he hit you with the laser too?"

"No." I lied. "Are you sure?"

"Apparently not." He got up and walked out the infirmary door. I followed, hanging the vial to dry. We ended up in the console room. He glanced at the scanners. "We're currently underwater." He commented. "And in the same spot. Van Statten must have put his museum under a lake." After a few seconds, the Doctor continued. "We are actually under Lake Silencio. That's strange. I suppose technically we're in it." He gives me a grin, and I automatically smile back, my thoughts on the name.

Lake Silencio? It was strange, a spell for the name of a lake. Hmm. I shook away my thoughts and turned to the Doctor. "Where to next?"

"Dunno, chips?"

I laugh, "Chips sounds good."

He takes us to the closest diner. I open the door first, catching a glimpse of curly blonde hair on a TARDIS blue background before a door across the dinner closed.

The Doctor glanced at me, and frowned. "Your locket's blinkin'." I glance down, to see that, indeed, it was blinking. Brightly.

"Who knows?" I said giving him a grin. He frowns, but saves the question for another time. We get a plate of chips (french fries...) each, and bring them back to the TARDIS.

We eat them slowly, and then the Doctor declares that I should get some rest. I walk slowly to my room, actually bone-tired.

The nightmares centred around the Daleks that night, and how they knew my name in New York.

I woke to the Doctor shaking me, standing over my bed, looking concerned.

"You alright, the TARDIS told me something was wrong." He commented.

I swallow, forcing back memories. "Just nightmares."

"You know you can talk to me." He said, I nodded.

I sigh. "I'm alright, but thanks." He nods, and turns to leave. "Could you..." I trail off, uncertain, and angry with my mouth for working faster than my brain.

"Could I?" He asked, turning back to me.

I could feel my face heat up. "Could you stay? I mean, just until I get to sleep?"

"Sure." He nods, removing his boots and jacket, laying them on the floor. He lies on the other side of the bed, sitting up, watching me. I swallow, uncertain, but knowing that even a few more hours of sleep would do wonders for me.

I do manage to get to sleep, after he starts telling me some of his old adventures.

The fact that him ending up sitting in my bed, waiting for me to go to sleep, becomes a habit, but we never really mention it outside of when I need to sleep.

And I never mention to him that I catch him getting a few winks here too.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, GryffinPuffGirl and Emaelin, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: So the chapter after this is where canon starts being deviated from. Just a little bit.

**A/N 2**: Please, someone tell me what they think of Maria. I'm not asking for my health. I'd like to know so that I know about my skills as a writer. Because I really can't tell, given as I know all of the characters secrets, and every little thing I say about a character feels like 'everyone is going to know the secret'.

**A/N 3**: I am currently in university, and my studies are a priority. Knowing that, please be forgiving when I don't post as often.

**A/N 4**: Got to say, I love this chapter. I love the Captain.

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 8**: The Strange Child

I was in my room, looking at my wardrobe, and thinking about the past few weeks.

We'd visited Satellite 5, a news station. I heard that the Face of Boe got pregnant (I had so many questions then next time I saw Harry after that point). I almost got turned into a zombie like reporter. Not fun.

I met and kind of saved Rose Tyler's father. And they knew the Grangers, which was strange seeing my parents again, even when they were very young. And a little me was there. I accidentally touched mini-me, which ended up almost killing the Doctor and everyone else inside. Strange day that was.

Which brought us here. I grabbed a random shirt from the closet, frowning when I saw it was the Union Jack. I grabbed a coat, and hightailed it up to the console room.

Lights were flashing, so I immediately asked, "What's the emergency?"

"It's mauve." I frown.

"Mauve?" I ask, sounding the word out in my mouth.

He glances up at me, his face contorted into something I'd never seen before. Fear. "The universally recognized colour for danger." I blink, mentally re-arranging my bestiary colour guide, reversing it.

"What happened to red?"

He frowned, darting to another side of the console, I followed. "That's just humans. By everyone else's standards, red's camp. Oh, the misunderstandings. All those red alerts, all that dancing." He focused back to the screen he was in front of, reading it aloud. "It's got a very basic flight computer. I've hacked in, slaved the TARDIS. Where it goes, we go."

I frowned. "And that's safe, is it?"

"Totally." He spoke to soon, because as soon as he did, something went BANG! and something else went BOOM! "Okay, reasonably. Should have said reasonably there. No, no, no, no! It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us."

I give him a look, but he doesn't see it. "What exactly is this thing?"

"No idea." Typical Doctor answer.

"Then why are we chasing it?"

"It's mauve and dangerous, and about thirty seconds from the centre of London." The TARDIS materializes and I step out after the Doctor. "Do you know how long you can knock around space without happening to bump into Earth?"

"Five days? Or is that just when we're out of milk?" I give him a grin.

"Of all the species in all the Universe, and it has to come out of a cow." He sighed, before looking around. "Must have come down somewhere quite close. Within a mile, anyway. And it can't have been more than a few weeks ago. Maybe a month."

"A month? We were right behind it." I exclaim.

He frowned. "It was jumping time tracks all over the place. We're bound to be a little bit out. Do you want to drive?"

"Sure." I said, grinning at him. "How much is a little?"

"A bit."

"Is that exactly a bit?"

"Ish."

I sigh. "What's the plan then? Are you going to do a scan for alien tech or something?"

He gives me a look that screams 'stupid ape', "Rose, it hit the middle of London with a very loud bang. I'm going to ask." He takes out his psychic paper, and shows it to me. I pretend to study it, and he reads it aloud to me. I still can't see much more than a blank slip of paper though. "Doctor John Smith, Ministry of Asteroids. It's psychic paper. It tells you-"

"Whatever you want it to tell me, I remember." I said, thinking back to Platform One, Harry, the Face of Boe and Cassandra.

"Sorry." He said, before walking towards the door marked 'Deliveries Only".

I sigh. "Not very Spock, is it, just asking."

"Door, music, people. What do you think?"

"I think you should do a scan for alien tech. Give me some Spock, for once. Would it kill you?" He leans over to sonic open the door, and then glances at my shirt. He frowns.

"Are you sure about that t-shirt?" I glance down at it.

I give it an evaluating look. "Too early to say. I'm taking it out for a spin."

_Mummy? Mummy?_ A voice echos down the small alleyway. I glance around, looking for the source.

"Come on if you're coming. It won't take a minute." He ducks inside the room, and I finally spot the source of the noise. A small kid, no older than Teddy, last I saw him (age 5).

"Mummy?" He's wearing a gas mask, and old looking clothes.

I look back to the door, trying to get the Doctor's attention. "Doctor? Doctor? There's a kid up there!"

He doesn't pay attention. I run towards the other building, finding an escape ladder, and take it up to the roof. "Are you alright up there?"

"Mummy?"

I get on the roof, but the kid is still above me.

"Mummy?"

"Okay, hang on. Don't move!" I say, looking for some way of getting up there. Of course, I never actually have my magic when I need it. I turn my head, looking around the roof for something I could use as a make-shift ladder. I frown, turn my head back to the kid. There's a rope, hanging beside the building. Accidental magic? Was this kid a wizard?

I grab the rope, giving it a good tug, and finding it secure. I start climbing up the wall to the child.

"Mummy. Balloon!" The child points upwards, and I follow the hand to see a barrage balloon. It moves away from the building, taking me with it. I freeze, holding the rope even closer. This wasn't good.

"Doctor!" I try, hoping that he would be able to find me.

From this vantage, I've got a great view of London, with its search lights, explosions, and a squad of German World War Two planes, headed straight for me.

"Okay, maybe not this t-shirt." I comment, glancing down. No way I could drop from this height. I was stuck in the air, with a Union Flag across my chest, during the Blitz. What else could go wrong?

I start going through my history, attempting to remember what I learnt about the Blitz, and trying not to focus on the fact that I was most likely going to die.

My mind stumbled on two distinct pieces of knowledge that made me swear.

One, Tom Riddle was somewhere down there, hiding from the bombs. And there was a great urge to go kill the little nasty.

I frowned. The Doctor wouldn't like that.

My second thought was less pleasant. Grindlewald was somewhere in all of this mess. He had tons of followers, and there were people being killed right now by them. They always struck during the panic of the bombs.

I decide that even if I don't have my magic, I'd rather have my wand on me, than off me. I reach one hand down towards my bag. And then the other hand slips.

I scream. I'm falling. I'm really falling. I shut my eyes, waiting for the world to catch me.

It never does.

I open my eyes back up again. I'm hovering in mid-air with nothing to catch me. I scream again. My heart rises up in my chest, and I really, really wish the lie I had told Harry back on New Earth was real.

I was still deathly afraid of heights.

"_Okay, okay. I've got you._" A voice called out. A speaker, I guess, because the voice was distorted.

"Who's got me? Who's got me, and you know, how?" I say, eyes wide. I glance down, just to be sure it's not some form of thresal, and immediately snap my head back up. Bad idea. Really bad idea, I thought to myself, swallowing the wave of nausea that followed looking down.

"_I'm just programming your descent pattern. Keep as still as you can and keep your hands and feet inside the light field._"

I frown. "Descent pattern?" I didn't like that.

"_Oh, and could you switch off your cell phone?_" I give whatever is talking a look, which they seem to see. "_No, seriously, it interferes with my instruments._"

I grumble, reaching for my bag and phone. "You know, no one ever believes that." I grab it, and turn it off.

"_Thank you. That's much better._"

I grumble some more. "Oh, yeah, that's a real load off, that is. I'm hanging in the sky in the middle of a German air raid with the Union Flag across my chest, but hey, my mobile phone's off."

"_Be with you in a moment._" And who ever it is, leaves me hanging. Literally.

Who was this? Obviously someone either alien or from the future. Or both. The voice sounded familiar. I shake the feeling away, giving where I thought the voice was coming from a glare. "_Ready for you? Hold tight!_"

"To what?!" I yell, ready to strangle who ever this was.

The voice seemed to stop for a second before conceding my point. And then I'm freefalling again, only this time, it feels more like a mixture of apparation and portkeying somewhere.

I end up in a pair of arms, with an American voice talking to me. "I've got you. You're fine, you're just fine. The tractor beam, it can scramble your head just a little."

I glance up and gape. Captain Jack Harkness. "Hello."

"Hello." He gives me his semi-famous grin. And I swallow.

"Hello." I blink, frowning. "Sorry, that was hello twice there. Dull, but you know, thorough."

He gives me a wary look, and I realize I'm still in his arms. He puts me down, and I stand, a little uncertain. "Are you alright?"

I nod. "Fine." I give him a look. "Why, are you expecting me to faint or something?"

"You look a little dizzy." I frown, sitting, trying to make the world stop spinning a little bit.

I give him a look from the floor. "I've got a big fear of heights." I put my head to my knees, focusing on the fact that I was on solid(ish?) ground. It takes a few minutes, the whole time, I was focusing on either the fact that I was on some form of solid ground, and the fact that Jack was currently in the same room as me. Last I saw of him, he ran into the arch in Cardiff during 1869.

My stomach not rebelling any more, I look up. "Better now?" I swallow, looking at him. Same coat. And a hat.

"You got lights in here?" He smiles, and flicks on a set of lights. They blink on, and I glance around the room. It's small, cramped and very spaceship-ish. There are bundles of wires hanging from the ceiling, and I get up and sit down on a bunk. He's sitting down on the pilot seat.

"Hello."

"Hello." I said, giving him a smile.

"Hello."

I give him a look. "Let's not start that again."

"Okay."

And then I decide to play, 'Let's ask questions that have answers I already know.' "So, who're you supposed to be, then?"

"Captain Jack Harkness, One Three Three Squadron, Royal Air Force. American volunteer." He hands me a blank sheet of paper, which I guess is psychic paper.

I give him a smile. "Liar. This is psychic paper. It tells me whatever you want it to tell me."

"How do you know?" He looks shocked.

"Two things. One, I have a friend who uses this all the time."

"Ah."

"And two, it's never worked on me."

He gives me an appraising look. "Tricky thing, psychic paper."

"Yeah. Can't let your mind wander when you're handing it over." I give it back to him. My mind flashed to Harry for a second.

He glances at it. "But it works on you." I give him a look, and he reads non-existent words off the paper. "You sort of have a boyfriend. No name listed. But you consider yourself to be footloose and fancy free."

"What?"

He gives me a flirty grin. "Actually, the word you use is available."

I snort. There was no way I was touching Jack. "No way."

"And another one, very."

I roll my eyes. "Shall we try and get along without the psychic paper?"

He tosses it to the side. "That would be better, wouldn't it?"

I give the spaceship another look, and compliment it.

"Gets me around."

I smile. "Very Spock."

"Who?" I turn and look at him.

"Guessing you're not a local boy then."

He gives me a look. "A cell phone, a liquid crystal watch, fabrics that won't be around for at least another two decades, and a purse which is bigger on the inside. Guessing you're not a local girl."

I snort. "Guessing right." I glance down to my hands. He does too.

"Burnt your hands on the rope?" He gets up from his seat, and I slide in, ignoring him. I look out the window and gasp.

"We're parked in midair. Can't anyone down there see us?"

He glances out the window for a second. "No." He turns back to me. "Can I have a look at your hands for a moment?"

I give him a look. "Why?"

He gives me an impatient one right back. "Please? You can stop acting now. I know exactly who you are. I can spot a time agent a mile away."

I blink. "Time agent?"

"I've been expecting one of you guys to show up. Though no, I must say, by a barrage balloon. Do you often travel that way?"

I laugh. "Sometimes I get swept off my feet. By balloons." He takes my hands, ignoring my protests and wraps a piece of cloth around them. "What are you doing?"

"Try to keep still." He flicks a button, and around my hands, it started glowing gold. I frowned. "Nanogenes. Sub-atomic robots. The air in here is full of them. They just repaired three layers of your skin." The glow stops, and he unties me. I rub a finger over the new skin and frown.

"Well, tell them thanks." I comment. The air glows brightly again, and I scream. It surrounds my body, and Jack looks a little panicked. They focus on my back, and on my left arm.

They dissipate, and I frown. My arm looks the same. I wonder if the nanogenes can see through the potion. I swallow, thinking of what they might have done. And my back. Jack checks me, and I wince in pain.

I blink. I pinch myself, and tears well up in my eyes. It hurts.

It hurts.

They fixed my nervous system. I can feel pain again. I glance up at Jack, who's looking at me concerned. I throw my arms around him. First he saves my life, then he inadvertently healed damage that happened over one hundred years ago. He smiles, and then gives me a look.

"Shall we get down to business?"

I blink, pulling away. "Business?"

"Shall we have a drink on the balcony? Bring up the glasses." He clicks a button, and a hatch opens. He gestures to a set of champagne glasses, and I take them following him up. Only to stop.

"I know I'm standing on something." I mutter, making it a mantra. A click happens and I look down, almost fainting in relief. "Okay, you have an invisible spaceship."

"Yeah."

I glance to the right, and gasp, holding back laughter. "Tethered up to Big Ben for some reason."

"First rule of active camouflage. Park somewhere you'll remember." He opens up the champagne bottle and pours two glasses, taking one from me once he was finished. I sit, glancing around at the sight.

And then I think of the Doctor. "You know, it's getting a bit late. I should really be getting back." I put down the champagne. Even if the pregnancy was paused, alcohol could do horrible things to a foetus. I swallow. I'd almost forgotten.

Jack looks put out. "We're discussing business."

"This isn't business." I said. I take the glass, and hold it up. "This is champagne."

He lies down next to me. "I try never to discuss business with a clear head." He looks at me, taking a sip. "Are you travelling alone? Are you authorized to negotiate with me?" I look at him, trying to figure out what he was playing at. He was obviously early on, given as he didn't recognize me.

"What would we be negotiating?" I asked, hoping I might be able to lie myself out of whatever he was planning.

He gives me a look. "I have something for the Time Agency. Something they'd like to buy. Are you in power to make payment?" I swallowed. 'Con' screamed in the back of my head.

"Well, I, I should talk to my companion."

"Companion?"

I frown. "I should really be getting back to him."

"Him?"

I swallow again. "Do you have the time?" He points his remote at Big Ben, which lights up, displaying that it was 9:30. "Okay, that was flash. That was on the flash side."

"So when you say your companion, just how disappointed should I be?"

I give him a look. "Okay, we're standing in midair."

"Mmm-hmm."

"On a spaceship, during a German air raid." He nods again. "Do you really think now's a good time to be coming on to me?"

"Perhaps not." He glances down to his ship. "Do you like Glenn Miller?" He clicks another button on his remote again, and music floats up from the interior of the ship. He gets me up from my sitting position. And he holds me close, and dances. "It's 1941, the height of the London Blitz, the height of the German bombing campaign, and something else has fallen on London. A fully equipped Chula warship. The last one in existence, armed to the teeth. And I know where it is, because I parked it. If the Agency can name the right price, I can get it for you. But in two hours, a German bomb is going to fall on it and destroy it forever." He pulls away. "That's your deadline. That's the deal. Now, shall we discuss payment?"

"Do you know what I think?"

"What?"

"You used to be a Time Agent, now you're some kind of freelancer."

Jack looks affronted. "Well, that's a little harsh. I like to think of myself as a criminal."

"I bet you do."

"So, this companion of yours, does he handle the business?"

I freeze, thinking of what to say. "Well, I delegate a lot of that, yeah."

"Well, maybe we should go find him."

I give him a look. "And how're you going to do that?"

"Easy. I'll do a scan for alien tech."

I snort, thinking to myself, _he's trying a little too hard._

* * *

He leads us to a hospital, which makes me shiver. Nothing good happens in hospitals when the Doctor's around.

"Hello?" Jack yelled. I called out too. We wander and then the Doctor runs into us. "Good evening." Jack holds out his hand."Hope we're not interrupting. Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you on the way over."

I give the Doctor a significant look. "He knows. I had to tell him about us being Time Agents."

"And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Mister Spock." Jack said, before something caught his attention in another room.

The Doctor gave me a look, eyebrow raised. "Mister Spock?"

"What was I supposed to say? You don't have another name outside of 'Doctor', and mentioning that has a tendency of getting us shot at." I give him a look. "Don't you ever get tired of Doctor? Doctor who?"

He gives me an upset look. "Nine centuries in, I'm coping. Where've you been? We're in the middle of a London Blitz. It's not a good time for a stroll."

"Who's strolling?" I give him a smile. "I went by barrage balloon. Only way to see an air raid." I start following Jack into the other room.

"What?!"

I turn back to him, "Listen, what's a Chula warship?"

"Chula?" I shrug and he walks past me. I sigh and follow.

"This just isn't possible. How did this happen?"

The Doctor glared at Jack. "What kind of Chula ship landed here?"

"What?"

I try answering. "He said it was a warship. He stole it, parked it somewhere out there, somewhere a bomb's going to fall on it unless we make him an offer."

"What kind of warship?"

Jack frowned, defensive. "Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this."

"This started at the bomb site. It's got everything to do with it. What kind of warship?"

Jack glared. "An ambulance! Look!" He brought up a hologram of it. "That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle, love the retro look, by the way, nice panels. Threw you the bait-"

"Bait!?" I hissed, angry.

"I wanted to sell it to you and then destroy it before you found out it was junk."

I glare. "You said it was a warship."

"They have ambulances in wars. It was a con. I was conning you. That's what I am, I'm a con man. I thought you were Time Agents. You're not, are you?" He gave us a look.

"Oh. Should have known. The way you guys are blending in with the local colour. I mean, Flag Girl was bad enough, but U-Boat Captain?" He looks at the Doctor who looks offended. "Anyway, whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship."

I sigh, and turn from Jack to the Doctor. "What is happening here Doctor?"

"Human DNA is being rewritten by an idiot."

I frown, trying to understand that. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Some kind of virus converting human beings into these things. But why? What's the point?"

I frown. He changed his answer.

I didn't get much time to dwell on that, because just then, all the patients in the room sat up. Not good.

"Mummy. Mummy. Mummy? Mummy?" I swallow.

"What's happening?"

The Doctor frowned. "I don't know."

The patients stand up and start shuffling towards us.

"Shit! No, don't touch me!" A voice called, and a kid ran into the room. He dodged through the bodies shuffling towards us, and glanced our way, before running over. "Finally, found you guys."

"Who the hell are you?" The Doctor growled. The kid looked barely out of his teen years. He had a cross between red and brown hair, high cheekbones and bright TARDIS blue eyes. He was extremely skinny, and looked a fair bit like the other Doctor, the one who'd given my my pendent.

"Call me Rio," He said, before turning to the advancing zombie like creatures.

"Doctor." I said, concerned.

"Don't let them touch you." He said.

"What happens if they touch us?" Rio said, looking around. I step in front of him, guarding him.

The Doctor answered. "You're looking at it."

The patients began muttering, various different versions of the the sentence Mummy.

"Well, I'd say we've bypassed good, and just ran straight for horrible." Rio said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, GryffinPuffGirl and Emaelin, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: So the chapter after this is where canon starts being deviated from. Just a little bit.

**A/N 2**: Please, someone tell me what they think of Maria. I'm not asking for my health. I'd like to know so that I know about my skills as a writer. Because I really can't tell, given as I know all of the characters secrets, and every little thing I say about a character feels like 'everyone is going to know the secret'.

**A/N 3**: I am currently in university, and my studies are a priority. Knowing that, please be forgiving when I don't post as often.

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 9**: The Doctor Dances

The Doctor swallowed, looking around. They were almost at arms length from us. He stepped forward, not enough for them to touch him, and pointed to his right. "Go to your room."

The patients stop, and Rio fidgets behind me.

"Go to your room. I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I am very, very cross. Go to your room!"

The patients hang their heads and shuffle away.

I blinked. "I'm really glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words."

I turned to Rio. "Alright, who are you? How'd you get here? Why are you here?"

He blinks, frowning. "In reverse order, I'm here to avoid a crack in the space time continuum. I got here by travelling through time. And I already said, my name is Rio."

"Rio what?" I asked looking at him. He frowns, before sighing. "Cesario Jack Smith, at your service."

I looked at him, nodded, accepting his answers and turned to the Doctor. "Why are they all wearing gas masks?"

Jack answered, still looking at the kid. "They're not. Those masks are flesh and bone."

The Doctor looked at Jack. "How was your con supposed to work?"

Rio blinked. "You're a con man?" Rio looked almost hurt at the thought.

"Yeah, kid." Jack said, before turning to the Doctor. "Simple enough, really. Find some harmless piece of space junk, let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth, convince him it's valuable, name a price. When he's put fifty percent up front, oops! A German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's paid for, never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money, and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con."

The Doctor frowned, looking around. "Yeah. Perfect."

Jack continued, "The London Blitz is great for self-cleaners. Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it though, but you've got to set your alarm for volcano day." I look at Rio, who's eyes are wide, and he looks horribly young. A lot younger than he was before. I go to hug him, giving Jack a glare. "Getting a hint of disapproval."

The Doctor frowns, pinning Jack with an angry gaze. "Take a look around the room. This is what your harmless piece of space-junk did."

Jack frowned, going on the defensive again. "It was a burnt-out medical transporter. It was empty."

"Rose." The Doctor said, looking at me. I swallow.

"Are we getting out of here?"

He shakes his head. "We're going upstairs."

Jack frowned, following the Doctor out of the room. I grabbed Rio's hand and followed them. "I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living. I harmed no-one. I don't know what's happening here, but believe me, I had nothing to do with it."

The Doctor turned, a thunderous expression on his face. "I'll tell you what's happening. You forgot to set your alarm clock. It's volcano day."

A siren sounds in the distance.

"What's that?" Rio asked, looking concerned.

"The all clear." Jack answered looking back at Rio.

I sigh. "I wish."

The Doctor takes off, and Jack, Rio and I follow him.

"Mister Spock?" Jack calls running past a set of stairs. Rio snorts, and stops, laughing.

I glance up the stairs. "Doctor?"

"Have you got a sonic blaster?" The Doctor calls down, his head popping up from the staircase, a floor above.

"Sure!" Jack said. He turned around and hightailed it up the stairs. Rio and I follow. We stop in front of a secure metal door.

"Actually, fellows, I've got this." Rio said, waving his hand. The door clicked and slid open. I swallowed. Magic.

The Doctor turned to Jack. "The night your space-junk landed, someone was hurt. This was where they were taken."

"What happened?"

The Doctor grinned. "Let's find out."

Jack takes out his sonic blaster, just in case.

The Doctor examines it. "Sonic blaster, fifty first century. Weapon Factories of Villengard?"

Jack blinks. "You've been to the factories?"

"Once."

Jack signed. "Well, they're gone now. Destroyed. The main reactor went critical. Vaporized the lot."

"Like I said. Once." He grins. "There's a banana grove there, now. I like bananas. Bananas are good."

Rio laughed. "And you hate pears."

"How did you..." The Doctor said, looking at Rio with curiousity.

He smiled. "Can't tell you. Mum always said you and her were wibbly-wobbly time-whimy." The Doctor blinks a second, and then smiles.

"Your mother is Maria, isn't she?" Rio nods. "Why'd she send you here?"

"To avoid cracking the space-time continuum. But mainly just to get out of her hair for a little bit. I may have blown up the west wing of headquarters before I left."

"How'd you do that?"

Rio blushed. "It's dad's fault. Mum told him she didn't want me to learn how to fly until I was sixteen. I'm fifteen now, which is close enough. Anyway, da and I waited until mum went to go visit Vee's godparents who live at headquarters-"

"Vee?" I ask, blinking.

"My younger sister. Anyway, once mum was gone, da tried to teach me how to pilot, but I ended up crashing Auntie Idy into Auntie H."

"Auntie Idy?" Jack asked, confused.

Rio sighed. "My family contains some sentient ships. It's just confusing. I've given up trying to understand it. But Auntie Idy's mum's sister? Or kind of mother? Or some cross between."

"Right. Back to the matter at hand." The Doctor said. We enter the room, and look around. There are filing cabinets overturned, electronic equipment broken, and a big mess of papers strewn about. The observation window in the room is broken.

I frown. "What do you think?"

"Something got out of here." Jack said, looking around. He entered the other room.

"And?" The Doctor questioned.

"Something powerful. Angry." Jack muttered looking around.

"Powerful and Angry." Rio said.

In the other room there are child's drawings scattered on the walls and floors, all of them depicting some version of 'mummy'. There's a teddy bear on the bed.

"A child?" I frown.

Jack looks around too. "I suppose this explains Mummy."

I swallow. "How could a child do this?"

I glance at the Doctor who's switched on a tape machine.

An old man's voice starts: "_Do you know where you are?_"

"_Are you my mummy?_" I flinch. That was the voice of the child. The one I tried to rescue off of the roof.

"_Are you aware of what's around you? Can you see?_"

"_Are you my mummy?_"

"_What do you want? Do you know-_"

"_I want my mummy. Are you my mummy? I want my mummy! Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy? Mummy? Mummy?_"

"Doctor, I've heard this voice before."

"Me too." He answered.

"_Mummy?_"

I swallow. "Always are you my mummy? Like he doesn't know."

"_Mummy?_"

"Why doesn't he know?"

"_Are you there mummy? Mummy?_"

The Doctor looks around the room, and suddenly I can feel something. Just the faintest hints of something, at the edge of my senses. Damn the potion.

"Can you sense it?" The Doctor asked.

"Sense what?" Jack asked, concerned.

The Doctor swallowed, staring at the walls. "Coming out of the walls. Can you feel it?"

"_Mummy?_"

"Funny little human brains. How do you get around in those things?" I sigh looking at Jack and Rio.

"When he's stressed, he likes to insult species."

The Doctor glared at me. "Rose, I'm thinking."

I roll my eyes. "He cuts himself shaving, he does half an hour on life forms he's cleverer than." Rio laughs.

He decides to ignore me. "There are these children living rough round the bomb sites. They come out during air-raids looking for food."

"_Mummy please?_"

"Suppose they were there when this thing, whatever it was, landed?"

Jack sighed, "It was a med-ship. It was harmless."

"Yes, you keep saying harmless. Suppose one of them was affected, altered?"

I frown. "Altered how?"

A tapping noise begins, but I barely hear it. "I'm here."

The Doctor continued. "It's afraid. Terribly afraid and powerful. It doesn't know it yet, but it will do. It's got the power of a god, and I just sent it to it's room."

"Doctor." I said, frowning. He's got a funny expression on his face.

"I'm here. Can't you see me?"

I frown, listening to the tapping. "What's that noise?" Judging by the look on his face, I really didn't want to know.

Rio's eyes were riveted on something in the main room. "End of the tape. It ran out thirty seconds ago."

"I'm here, now. Can't you see me?

I swallow, turning to the voice. The child in the gas mask was there.

"I sent it to it's room. This is it's room."

"Are you my mummy? Mummy?"

Rio tried to grin. "I think I want my mummy too."

"Don't we all kid." Jack said, staring at the child.

"Doctor?"

Jack leapt in front of us. "Okay, on my signal make for the door."

"Mummy?" He aims something at the child and I'm about to slap him. I glance down, seeing it was yellow. A banana.

"Now!"

"Mummy?"

The Doctor pulls out Jack's blaster from his belt and makes a square hole in the wall. "Go now!" Glancing at Jack, he yells "Don't drop the banana!"

Jack frowns. We begin jumping through the hole. "Why not?!"

"Good source of potassium!" We're all through the hole, and Jack snatches back his blaster.

"Mummy. I want my mummy." Jack points his blaster at the hole and repairs it.

I sigh. "Digital rewind." Jack explains before turning to the Doctor. "Nice switch."

The Doctor shrugged. "It's from the groves of Villengard. I thought it was appropriate."

I sighed. Jack looked amazed, or thought the Doctor was crazy. "There's really a banana grove in the heart of Villengard and you did that?"

"Bananas are good." Was the only reply. The wall starts to crack.

Rio yelped. "Come on!" He tries dragging us down one hall, only to see that patients are coming down that way. We go back and try the other way, with the same results.

In the end, there are gas mask zombies coming from all sides, and a window behind us. I swallow.

"It's keeping us here till it can get at us." The Doctor called, facing one side. Jack faced the other. And Rio faced the front, watching the wall. I ended up behind them, glaring at them all for assuming I was helpless.

"It's controlling them?"

The Doctor replied: "It is them. It's every living thing in this hospital."

Jack squared his shoulders. "Okay. This can function as a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon, and as a triple-enfolded sonic disrupter. Doc, Rio, what've you got?"

The Doctor answered, flustered, "I've got a sonic, er. Oh, never mind."

"What?"

"It's sonic, okay? Let's leave it at that."

Rio removed something from his pocket, pointing it at the wall. "I've got a sonic device too."

"Disrupter? Cannon? What?" Jack said, impatiently.

"It's sonic! Totally sonic! I am soniced up!" The Doctor said.

Jack turned. "A sonic what?!"

The Doctor turned too. "Screwdriver!" I held my head in my hands. The child breaks through the wall.

"Alright, please tell me someone has an idea." Rio said, turning.

I take Jack's blaster and point it at the floor. "Going down!" I shoot the floor and we all fall. Jack immediately repairs it. I grimace, pain shooting up my ankles, through my knees, into my spine. Why did I want to feel pain again? "Everyone alright?"

"Could've used a warning." The Doctor mumbles.

I sigh, getting up, my knees protesting. "Oh, the gratitude."

Jack turns to the Doctor. "Who has a sonic screwdriver?"

"I do." The Doctor said.

Rio got up and joined in the conversation. I tried to be practical about the situation and when to look for lights.

"Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, ooo, this could be a little more sonic?"

"What, you've never been bored?"

I sigh. "There's got to be a light switch." I reach and my hands find one. I flick it to find we're in the middle of another patient bay.

"Mummy. Mummy."

"Door." Jack said, pointing. We all run. He tries making a door, but his blaster doesn't work anymore. "Damn it!"

"Mummy."

"It's the special features. They really drain the battery."

I gape at him. "The battery?"

Rio rolls his eyes and waves his hand again. It gets us inside and the Doctor sonics the door closed.

"That's so lame!"

"I was going to send for another one, but somebody's got to blow up the factory." He said, giving the Doctor a pointed look.

I grin. "Oh, I know. First day we met, he blew up my job. That's practically how he communicates."

The Doctor grinned. "That door should hold it for a bit."

Jack looks angry. "The door? The wall didn't stop it!"

"Well, it's got to find us first! Come on, we're not done yet! Assets, assets!"

Jack answers sarcastically. "Well, I've got a banana, and in a pinch you could put up some shelves." He turns to Rio. "What did you say you've got kid?"

"Screwdriver and well, something you're not ready to believe in. And a com. link!" He said, grinning at the thought. He grabbed something else from his pocket, this time a walkie-talkie.

"Uncle Ricky, do you read?" He tried. All he got was static.

The Doctor continued to look around. "Window."

Jack sighed. "Barred. Sheer drop outside. Seven stories."

"And no other exits."

"_Rio? S'that you? Are you in storage now? You're mum wants you home ASAP. And she's not one for waitin'._" A voice came over the radio. Rio paled.

"Right. I've got to go. I can't take you with me, cos mum'd kill me. Sorry." He glowed gold for a moment, and then disappeared.

"Well, the assets conversation went in a flash, didn't it?" Jack said, growling it out. He sat in a wheelchair.

The Doctor turned to me. "Where'd you pick up this one then?"

I give him a look. "Doctor."

"She was hanging from a barrage balloon, I had an invisible spaceship. I never stood a chance." Jack said grinning. I sigh.

"Okay. One, we've got to get out of here. Two, we can't get out of here. Three, Rio disappeared, going home to mummy. Have I missed anything?" I glance behind me, where Jack should be, only to find him gone.

"Yeah. Jack just disappeared." I sighed.

"Great bloke he is." The Doctor commented.

"Okay, so he's vanished into thin air. Why is it always the great looking ones who do that?" I comment.

The Doctor almost growls. "I'm making an effort not to be insulted."

"You've disappeared on me too. Remember?" He blinks, not having thought of that.

The radio on the shelf crackles to life, and I frown. "_Rose? Doctor? Can you hear me? I'm back on my ship. Used the emergency teleport. Sorry I couldn't take you. It's security-keyed to my molecular structure. I'm working on it. Hang in there._"

The Doctor walks over to the radio and plays with the controls. "How are you speaking to us?"

"_Om-Com. I can call anything with a speaker grill._"

The Doctor's eyebrows go up. "Now there's a coincidence."

"_What is?_"

"The child can Om-Com, too." The Doctor said, thoughtfully, giving a glance in my direction.

I swallowed. "He can?"

"Anything with a speaker grill. Even the TARDIS phone." My eyebrows went up.

I almost laugh, and I would have, if this wasn't so serious. "What, you mean the child can phone us?"

"_And I can hear you. Coming to find you. Coming to find you._" And this is where I wish I had my magic. Being a muggle was no fun.

"_Doctor, can you hear that?_" Jack's voice came from the radio.

"Loud and clear."

"_I'll try to block out the signal. Least I can do._"

The child spoke again, "_Coming to find you mummy._"

"_Remember this one, Rose?_" The song he'd tried to get me to dance to before came on. I rolled my eyes.

A little while later, I was fiddling with my purse, trying to remember if I had anything useful in it. In the end, I took out a book (The Tales of the Beetle Bard) and tried focusing on that. Only it was completely hard to, when the sonic was going constantly.

I sigh. "What are you doing?"

He doesn't even glance back. "Trying to set up a resonation pattern in the concrete, loosen the bars."

I purse my lips. "You don't think he's coming back, do you?"

"Wouldn't bet my life."

I give him a look, which he doesn't see. "Why don't you trust him?"

"Why do you?"

I swallow. The real answer to that is complicated and I can't answer 'Because you do in the future' without opening another can of worms. So I settle for, "He saved my life. Bloke-wise, that's right up there with flossing. I trust him because he's like you. Except with dating and dancing." The Doctor does turn at that and he gives me a look of derision. "What?"

"You assume I'm..." He seems to search for a word.

"What?"

He sighs. "You just assume that I don't dance." He put some special emphasis on dance.

"What, are you telling me you do dance?" I asked, grinning. I got up from my seat, putting the book back in my bag.

He turns back to his resonating concrete. "Nine hundred years old, me. I've been around a bit. I think you can assume at some point I've danced." Again with the emphasis. I grin.

"You?"

He turns and looks at me. And actually walks up to me. Stands tall over me, in all his U-Boat captain-like glory. "Problem?"

I give him another grin. "Doesn't the universe implode or something if you dance?"

He grins. "Well, I've got the moves, but I wouldn't want to boast." I smile. I reach for the radio dial, which is still playing that music.

"You've got the moves?" He turns back to the concrete wall. And starts back up again. I roll my eyes. "Show me your moves."

"Rose, I'm trying to resonate concrete." He sounded exasperated.

I grin, turning him around. "Jack'll be back. He'll get us out. So come on. The world doesn't end because the Doctor dances." I hold out my hands, and the Doctor takes them, but looks at my palms.

He looks at me, and raises an eyebrow. "Barrage Balloon?"

"What?"

"You were hanging from a barrage balloon."

I frown. "Oh, yeah. About two minutes after you left me. Thousands of feet above London, middle of a German air-raid, Union Flag all over my chest." What's he on about?

"I've travelled with a lot of people, but you're setting new records for jeopardy friendly."

I give him a grin. "It's just my brand of luck." He pauses, his hands still holding mine. "Is this you dancing? Because I've got notes."

"Hanging from a rope thousands of feet above London. Not a cut, not a bruise." He frowned, watching me carefully.

"Yeah, I know. Captain Jack fixed me up."

Both eyebrows go up. "Oh, we're calling him Captain Jack now, are we?"

"Well, his name's Jack and he's a Captain."

He gives me a look. "He's not really a Captain, Rose."

"Do you know what I think?" I got closer to him. "I think you're experiencing Captain envy." I give him a look. "You'll find your feet at the end of your legs. You may care to move them."

"If ever he was a Captain, he's been defrocked."

I give him a look. "Yeah? Shame I missed that."

"Actually, I quit. Nobody takes my frock." Jack said. I almost screamed, finding I was in his ship. He was grinning. "Most people notice when they've been teleported. You guys are so sweet." His smile disappears somewhat, and he gets serious. "Sorry about the delay. I had to take the nav-com offline to override the teleport security."

The Doctor gave him a look, leaning against the support beam. "You can spend ten minutes overriding your own protocols? Maybe you should remember whose ship it is."

Jack grins. "Oh, I do. She was gorgeous. Like I told her, be back in five minutes."

"This is a Chula ship." The Doctor said, giving Jack a glance.

Jack nodded. "Just like that medical transporter. Only this one is dangerous."

The Doctor gives Jack a look, and then snaps his fingers. The golden glow of nanogenes enveloped his hand, and he grinned a little. "They're what fixed my hands up. Jack called them, er..." I tried to remember the name.

"Nanobots?" I shake my head. "Nanogenes." The Doctor said.

"Nanogenes, yeah."

"Sub-atomic robots. There's millions of them in here, see? Burned my hand on the console when we landed. All better now. They activate when the bulk head's sealed. Check you out for damage, fix any physical flaws. Take us to the crash site. I need to see your space junk." The Doctor explained.

Jack gave us a look. "As soon as I get the nav-com back online. Make yourself comfortable. Carry on with whatever it was you were doing."

"We were talking about dancing." The Doctor glared.

Jack gave him a look, clearly amused. "It didn't look like talking."

I sigh. "It didn't feel like dancing."

Jack continued working. "So, you used to be a Time Agent, now you're trying to con them?"

"If it makes me sound any better, it's not for the money."

I frown. "For what?"

He comes out from under the console. "Woke up one day when I was still working for them, found they'd stolen two years of my memories. I'd like them back."

I swallow. "They stole your memories?" A quick flash back of my parents.

Jack just looked away, not noticing my reaction. "Two years of my life. No idea what I did. Your friend over there doesn't trust me, and for all I know, he's right not to. Okay, we're good to go." He said, crawling completely from under the console. He glances at the Doctor. "Crash site?"

We end up looking onto the crash site when Jack recognizes one of the men on duty. "Hey, they've got Algy on duty. It must be important."

"We've got to get past him."

I sigh. "Are the words distract the guard heading in my general direction?"

Jack shakes his head. "I don't think that'd be such a good idea."

"Don't worry, I can handle it." I gave him a look.

Jack smiles. "I've gotten to know Algy quite well since I've been in town." His voice gets low, like he's telling me a secret. "Trust me, you're not his type." He goes back to normal volume. "I'll distract him. Don't wait up."

I gape, almost ready to smack him, when the Doctor mistakes my reaction. "Relax, he's a fifty first century guy. He's just a bit more flexible when it comes to _dancing_." I gasp, realizing just what the Doctor was talking about in the storage room earlier.

"How flexible?" I ask, playing the part of the twenty-first century girl, who hadn't known Jack before.

"Well, by his time, you lot have spread out across half the galaxy."

I give him a look. "Meaning?"

He gives me a fake smile. "So many species, so little time."

I swallow. "What, that's what we do when we get out there? That's our mission? We seek new life and, and..."

"Dance."

I look back at Jack who's looking concerned. The Doctor runs past me, yelling "Stay back!"

Jack looks back at him. "You men, stay away!"

"The effect's become air-borne, accelerating." The Doctor said. The air raid siren starts.

I gave the Doctor a panicked look. "What's keeping us safe?"

"Nothing."

Jack sighs. "Ah, here they come again."

"All we need." I roll my eyes before thinking. "Didn't you say a bomb was going to land here?"

"Never mind about that. If the contaminants airborne now, there's hours left." The Doctor said, looking at Jack and I.

Jack frowns. "For what?"

"Till nothing, forever. For the entire human race." He pauses, cocking his head, like a dog that's heard something. "And can anyone else hear singing?"

It was quiet, but I could definitely hear Rock-a-bye baby.

The Doctor ducks into a barn, and comes out a few minutes later, with a girl. She looks older than her age.

Jack runs over to the ambulance, and the Doctor follows. "You see? Just an ambulance."

"That's an ambulance?" The girl asked. I try to explain it, while the Doctor and Jack argue a little. And then I hear something.

"Doctor, what is that?" He looks up. There are patients going at the gates. "Doctor!"

The Doctor looks a little panicked himself. "Captain, secure those gates!"

"Why?"

"Just do it!" He turns to the girl. "Nancy, how'd you get in here?"

Nancy frowned. "I cut the wire."

"Show Rose." He tosses me the screwdriver and tells me a setting. Nancy leads me over to a patch of barbed wire.

"Who are you? Who are any of you?" She asked, eyes wide. She held the wire, while I re-attached it.

I smile. "You'd never believe me if I told you."

"You just told me that was an ambulance from another world. There are people running around with gas mask heads calling for their mummies, and the sky's full of Germans dropping bombs on me. Tell me, do you think there's anything left I couldn't believe?"

I smile at her. I felt like her once. Doing everything I could for my family, my friends. "We're time travellers from the future."

"Mad, you are."

I smile. "We have a time travel machine. Seriously!"

"It's not that. Alright, you've got a time travel machine. I believe you. Believe anything, me. But what future?" She asked, looking around.

I smile sadly. "I know how you feel. I've been through a war myself. It's so hard to see the end of it. But there is an end. And it's not the end of the world, or anything."

"How can you say that? Look at it."

I give her a look. "Listen to me. I was born in this city. I'm from here, in like fifty years time."

"From here?"

"I'm a Londoner. From your future."

"But, but you're not..."

"What?"

"German."

I give her a reassuring smile. "Nancy, the Germans don't come here. They don't win. Don't tell anyone I told you so, but you know what? You win."

"We win?" She looks shocked. I finish the last wire, and tell her to move.

"It's empty. Look at it." Jack said. Apparently the boys were still arguing about the ship.

"What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter? Bandages? Cough drops?" He turns to me, trying to give me a significant look, but it's lost on me. "Rose?"

I blink and think. "Nanogenes!"

"It wasn't empty, Captain. There was enough nanogenes in there to rebuild a species." The Doctor said, giving Jack a hard look.

Jack's face exploded in shock. "Oh, God."

"Getting it now, are we? When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape. Billions upon billions of them, ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the world. But what they find first is a dead child, probably killed earlier that night, and wearing a gas mask." The Doctor explained, his voice hard. Nancy shook beside me.

I swallowed. "And they brought him back to life? They can do that?"

"What's life? Life's easy. A quirk of matter. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. Nothing to a nanogene. One problem, though. These nanogenes, they're not like the ones on your ship. This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do. They patch it up. Can't tell what's a gas mask and what's skull, but they do their best. Then off they fly, off they go, work to be done. Because, you see, now they think they know what people should look like, and it's time to fix all the rest. And they won't stop. They won't ever, ever stop. The entire human race is going to be torn down and rebuilt in the form of one terrified child looking for its mother, and nothing in the world can stop it!" I swallow that thought, feeling nauseated.

Jack looks heart-broken. "I didn't know." The Doctor ignores him and works on the ambulance, until the patients arrive at the gates. It's Nancy who notices them first. She calls me, and I turn to the Doctor.

"It's bringing the gas mask people here, isn't it?"

The Doctor gave a brief nod. "The ship thinks it's under attack. It's calling up the troops. Standard protocol."

"But the gas mask people aren't troops."

The Doctor sighed. "They are now. This is a battle-field ambulance. The nanogenes don't just fix you up, they get you ready for the front line. Equip you, programme you."

I nodded, understanding. "That's why the child is so strong. Why it could do that phoning thing."

"It's a fully equipped Chula warrior, yes. All that weapons tech in the hands of a hysterical four year old looking for his mommy. And now there's an army of them." I glance around, and the patients and the old soldiers are just standing there.

"Why don't they attack?" Jack muttered.

"Good little soldiers, waiting for their commander."

"The child?"

Nancy frowned. "Jamie."

"What?"

She glared at Jack. "Not the child. Jamie."

"So how long until the bomb falls?" I asked, morbidly curious.

Jack glanced at his watch. "Any second."

The Doctor growled. "What's the matter, Captain? A bit close to the volcano for you?"

"He's just a little boy." Nancy said, trying not to cry.

"I know."

"He's just a little boy who wants his mummy."

The Doctor got on her level. "I know. There isn't a little boy born who wouldn't tear the world apart to save his mummy. And this little boy can."

And then Rio reappeared out of nowhere. "Hi, everyone. I'm here to give something to Rose." He slipped me my purse, which hadn't gone up with us in the transport beam. I swallowed. I was wondering if I would be able to get it back.

"Thank you." I said, nodding. And then I gave him a hug.

He nodded, and then disappeared. I swallowed, again.

"So what're we going to do?"

The Doctor looked lost. "I don't know."

"It's my fault."

I give her a look. "No."

"It is. It's all my fault." She starts crying.

I frown. "How can it be all your-"

The patients all start up yelling out Mummy again. The Doctor has a look that he's just figured out something.

"Nancy, what age are you? Twenty? Twenty-one? Older than you look yes?"

Bombs are getting closer, and Jack tries to warn us.

"You can teleport us out." I said, wishing I could aparate us out.

He shakes his head. "Not you guys. The nav-com's back online. Going to take too long to override the protocols."

The Doctor almost growled. "So, it's volcano day. Do what you've got to do."

Jack gets a determined look on his face. He disappears. The Doctor turns back to Nancy.

"How old were you five years ago? Fifteen? Sixteen? Old enough to give birth, anyway. He's not your brother, is he? A teenage single mother in 1941. So you hid. You lied. You even lied to him."

The gate opens, and Jamie is standing there. "Are you my mummy?"

"He's going to keep asking, Nancy. He's never going to stop."

"Mummy?"

"Tell him. Nancy, the future of the human race is in your hands. Trust me and tell him."

Nancy walks towards him, gets down on her knees.

"Are you my mummy?" Jamie asks repetitively.

Nancy swallows. "Yes. Yes, I am your mummy."

"Mummy?"

"I'm here."

They cycle around. The Doctor grows concerned. "He doesn't understand. There's not enough of him left."

"I am your mummy. I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry."

She reaches out to hug him, and barely conscious of doing it, I clutch my stomach. A cloud of nanogenes surround them.

"What's happening? Doctor, it's changing her, we should..."

"Shush! Come on, please. Come on, you clever little nanogenes. Figure it out! The mother, she's the mother. It's got to be enough information. Figure it out." The Doctor muttered.

"What's happening?"

"See? Recognizing the same DNA."

Jamie lets go of the hug, and Nancy falls. The Doctor walks over to Jamie.

"Oh, come on. Give me a day like this. Give me this one." He whispered. He removed the gas mask, and the child blinked back at him, confused. "Ha-ha! Welcome back!" He picks up Jamie and swings him around. "Twenty years till pop music – you're gonna love it."

Nancy frowned. "What happened?"

"The nanogenes recognized the superior information, the parent DNA. They didn't change you because you changed them! Ha-ha! Mother knows best!" His smile is so wide, and I can't help but grin back at him.

Nancy hugs Jamie, and I remember a crucial thought. "Doctor, that bomb."

"Taken care of it."

"How?"

"Psychology." And then I can see the bomb coming down, about to hit us, and then... It stops. A blue beam of energy surrounds it. And Jack appears on the bomb.

"Doctor!" Jack calls out.

He grins. "Good lad!"

"The bomb's already commenced detonation. I've put it in stasis, but it won't last long."

The Doctor grins. "Change of plan. Don't need the bomb. Can you get rid of it, safely as you can?" Jack nods, and looks at me.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Goodbye." He and the bomb vanish, but reappear a second later. "By the way, love the tee-shirt." He vanishes again, and I hear the spaceship go off.

I turn to the Doctor, who's glowing gold, surrounded by nanogenes.

"What are you doing?"

He grins. "Software patch. Going to email the upgrade." He gives me a wider grin. "You want moves, Rose? I'll give you moves." He throws the nanogenes at the waiting patients, all of whom fall to the ground. "Everybody lives, Rose. Just this once, everybody lives!"

The patients stand up, and the Doctor goes over to one of the men in a labcoat. He comes back to me a few minutes later, grin still wide across his face. "Right, you lot. Lots to do. Beat the Germans, save the world. Don't forget the welfare state!" He goes to the ambulance. "Setting this to self-destruct, soon as everybody's clear. History says there was an explosion here. Who am I to argue with history?"

I give him a smile. "Usually the first in line." He throws me a wicked grin, which I can't help but return.

We (and I mean the Doctor too this time) practically skip back to the TARDIS. Entering, he's still explaining everything that's happened.

"Look at you, beaming away like you're Father Christmas."

He grins at me from across the console. "Who says I'm not, red bicycle when you were twelve?" I blink.

"What?" I call out, pretty sure that Hermione Granger was the one to receive the red bicycle. That never ever got used again.

"And everybody lives, Rose! Everybody lives! I need more days like this."

I stop and frown. "Doctor."

"Go on, ask me anything. I'm on fire."

"What about Jack? Why'd he say goodbye?"

It was a bit of an argument, which I won, even without having to pull the 'I know the future, we need to bring him' card.

While we're waiting for Jack to realize that we're waiting for him, the Doctor has somehow convinced me to dance.

When I notice that Jack's looking at us, I smile. "Well, hurry up then!" He runs in. I'm trying to guide the Doctor in some form of dance, but he's not doing so well. "Okay. And right and turn. Okay, okay, try and spin me again, bu this time, don't get my arm up my back. No extra points for a half-nelson."

He frowns. "I'm sure I used to know this stuff." He turns to Jack. "Close the door, will you? Your ship's about to blow up. There's going to be a draught."

Jack shuts the door, and the Doctor starts the engines, enough to get us into space.

"Welcome to the TARDIS."

Jack blinks. "Much bigger on the inside."

I laugh. The Doctor sighs. "I liked your first line better."

"I think, what the Doctor's trying to say is you may cut in."

The Doctor lights up. "Rose! I've just remembered!"

I look a little concerned. "What?"

He changes the music, from waltz to swing. "I can dance. I can dance." He grins, starting to dance a little. I laugh.

"Actually Doctor, I thought Jack might like this dance." I said, grinning.

The Doctor grins back. "I'm sure he would, Rose. I'm absolutely certain. But who with?" He steals my hands and we do some ridiculous moves, all of which I've never done before. I'm laughing the whole time, and my favourite of his moves is when he dipped me.

He pulls me back up, and I'm breathless from laughing so hard.

"Yes. You have moves Doctor." I said, grinning.

Jack interrupted. "Well, I'm quite enjoying the show, but if you're going to continue, I'd like to know where my room is."

I give the Doctor a smile, and pull out of his arms a little. "I'll show Jack where he can sleep." The Doctor doesn't looked pleased with this turn of events.

He turns to Jack and says, "Go in that hall, look for a bedroom that hasn't been taken yet." He says sharply. I sigh, rolling my eyes.

Jack seems to take the Doctor's not so subtle hint, and exits the room quickly.

I look at the Doctor, who's seemed to quiet down some. "Who's Maria?"

The Doctor frowns a moment. "Honestly, no idea. She's from the future. Wouldn't tell me anything."

"But you knew that Rio was Maria's?" I asked, feeling a little cheated.

He frowns. "It sounds like... it sounds like Maria and I, are well together. It stands to reason that he could be my son."

I swallow the bile rising in my throat. He's going to move on. Far past me and Rose Tyler, no matter what I do. He moves on with this Maria woman. And then I stop, thinking. "Are you okay with suddenly knowing you're going to have a son. And apparently more than one daughter." I think back to Rio's comments on Vee.

He stiffens. "It's not like I've got much of a choice."

"There's always a choice. And that's not my question."

He turns to me. "Then what is it?"

"Do you want kids or not?!" I all but scream, and then sigh. "Nevermind. It's none of my business." I storm away, going to my room. Quite possibly to cry, for me, and for the frozen foetus in my womb.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, GryffinPuffGirl and Emaelin, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: So the chapter after this is where canon starts being deviated from. Just a little bit.

**A/N 2**: Please, someone tell me what they think of Maria. I'm not asking for my health. I'd like to know so that I know about my skills as a writer. Because I really can't tell, given as I know all of the characters secrets, and every little thing I say about a character feels like 'everyone is going to know the secret'.

**A/N 3**: I am currently in university, and my studies are a priority. Knowing that, please be forgiving when I don't post as often.

**A/N 4**: Alright boys and girls, this is where it gets complicated. And a cliffhanger. Which I apologize for. I hope to start posting the next part before Halloween, but that's a tentative date. I've only got four chapters of the next part to finish. Tootles! (And if you want to suggest a name for part 2, please do so. I'm clueless right now...)

**Part 1**: Just a Replacement?

**Chapter 10**: Fun at the Game Station

It'd been some time since Jack joined us, and the Doctor had grown fond of him during the time. Jack avoided hitting on me, or if he did, it was just for fun.

I stayed out of trouble, and constantly alert. Jack had a habit of wandering into my bedroom, telling me to get up, but he normally doesn't knock.

Which was probably the reason why he'd found out I wasn't really Rose Tyler.

I was enjoying being Hermione Granger for the short time I could. I knew that we weren't due to arrive anywhere for a few hours, so I thought I would be safe.

That is, until I got a "Rosie, I'm coming in. Don't bother hiding, I've seen it all before." (And he had. He'd barged in quite a few times when I was less than decent.)

Before I could even run to my ensuite to take my potion, he'd entered. And immediately went for where his pistol would have been, if the Doctor hadn't 'confiscated' it during the first day. I stunned him, more a knee jerk reaction than anything else. I moved him into my room, lied him down on the bed, and rennevated him. He came too with a gasp, reminding me of him coming back to life in the future.

I shut the door. "Who the hell are you?"

I proceeded to spout off a whole bunch of facts that just him and I would know. He blinked.

"Rose?" I nod. "How?"

So I began telling him the story, skipping out the bits with him in it (It wouldn't do to have him know his future), and once I finished, he blinked.

"So, your name is Hermione Granger, you're a future companion of the Doctor, who's regenerated at that point, and you've accidentally travelled back in time. You found the real Rose Tyler dead, and now you're making sure that time doesn't crack because she's dead when she should be with the Doctor." I nod. "You're also a witch, which is how you can become Rose, but you can't use any of your powers while being Rose."

"Exactly."

"I don't envy you." He ended. I laughed.

He continued asking me questions, everything from what was it like being a witch, to talking about how I was feeling about pretending to be the Doctor's semi-famous companion. And then he asked me something I'd been questioning myself.

"So, do you think that this might have been supposed to happen all along?"

I swallowed. "I don't know. I mean, a future version of my best friend said that we'd close, and a future incarnation of him," I jerked my finger behind me, "Snogged the living daylights out of me. But I just can't accept, I can't believe. I don't want to get my hopes up." I sigh. "Rose Tyler ends up in another dimension. And time is always in flux, but, I don't see how any of what they are claiming can happen if I'm stuck somewhere I can't find him again."

And then Jack slapped me. I gave him a look, which spoke volumes. "Alright, so, I know we've known each other for a few months, and I don't know if you've been pretending this entire time, but judging by your stories, I think I'm safe in saying you need to stop and tell whatever's in your head, talking like that, to shut up. You've done tons of things, some of which I can't even believe are possible. I don't doubt that if worse came to worse, you could find him again. Judging by how the two of you interact, I can only see being in an alternate dimension slowing you down."

I stopped, looked at him, and started bawling. I honestly don't know why. Maybe it was because that was something I needed to hear. Maybe it was because I'd finally gotten all of that weight off my chest. Maybe...

There were thousands of maybes that would have given me reason to cry. But Jack held me anyway, and comforted me. I took my potion, after I dried my eyes, and we went to join the Doctor.

It was a week before everything would crash around our heads.

* * *

I woke to my head pounding and feeling fuzzy at the same time.

"What happened?" I blinked, my brain spouting images. Unconnected images. A slitheen woman. Great light. An egg. A planet. And white light. Then, nothing.

Someone's helping me up, and I glance, wondering if it's Jack or the Doctor. Neither. A tall, dark-skinned man. "It's alright. It's the transmat. Does your head in. Get a bit of amnesia. What's your name?"

I blink, fighting back the urge to say Hermione. "Rose. But where's the Doctor?" The word transmat floats through my brain. I blink.

"Just remember do what the android says. Don't provoke it. The android's word is law."

I frown. "What do you mean, android?"

Someone barks out instructions, telling everyone to be in positions.

"Come on, hurry up." I start falling over, and he corrects my balance for me.

I blink, looking around. "I was travelling, with the Doctor and a man called Captain Jack. The Doctor wouldn't just leave me."

The lady barking out order's before barks out more.

"But I'm not supposed to be here." My head's still a little fuzzy.

The man supporting my sighs. "It says Rose on the podium. Come on." I stand, gripping the podium tightly. I feel about to fall over at any second.

"Hold on, I must be going mad. It can't be. This looks like the..."

The lady yells that the android is activated. I blink. "Oh, my God. The android. The Anne droid."

"Welcome to the Weakest Link!"

The lady starts counting down, and I need to get out of here fast. But I'm told to stand up and shut up.

I sigh, and the game begins. I get a nice easy question about Maths first. And then things get interesting.

A question about old Earth legends (Tales of the Beetle Bard), and the round is ended.

"So, Rose, what do you actually do?" I blink at the Anne Droid.

I consider the answer carefully. What the hell? "I've been bouncing around jobs, never done the same thing twice. Robot deconstructer, metal melter, that sort of thing. I've also done a few hit jobs, done a bit of research work, been a doctor for a while. Been a prisoner. You know, the works."

All of the contestants seemed to take one step away from me. "And right now?" The Anne Droid asks.

"Between jobs."

"Another way of saying unemployed. And yet, you've still got enough money to buy peroxide. Why Fitch?"

I blink, not liking the slam to my hair. It's not like I can change it. "I think she got some of the questions wrong, that's all."

"Oh, you'd know all about that."

I frown. "I didn't get any of the questions wrong, thank you." I glance over to Fitch. She's in tears. "I'm sorry, that's the game. That's how it works. I had to vote for someone."

She starts begging, and I get a horrible feeling about this. Anne Droid tells us that someone else was the weakest link.

She finishes with "Fitch, you are the weakest link. Goodbye!" A barrel comes out of her mouth and a beam shoots out of it. And then Fitch is gone.

The floor manager yells something, but all I can hear is the pounding in my ears. "What's that? What's just happened?"

Rodrick, the man who'd helped me earlier frowned. "She was the weakest link, she gets disintegrated. Blasted into atoms."

"But I voted for her. Oh, my. This is sick. All of you, you're just sick! I'm not playing this."

Another one of the players beats me too it. He runs off, but also gets zapped.

Rodrick whispers back at me. "Don't try to escape. It's play or die."

I swallow. This is not good.

A few more people disintegrated and I'm feeling hopeless. I've gotten questions wrong (and apparently really easy questions too), and I've been close to being disintegrated too many times to count. Rodrick had revealed that he was keeping me in because he thought that I was stupid.

"When it comes to the final, I want to be up against you, so that you get disintegrated and I get a stack load of credits courtesy of the Bad Wolf Corporation."

I almost choke on my own spit. "What do you mean? Who's Bad Wolf?"

He looked at me like I was stupid. "They're in charge. They run the Game Station."

I swallow. That name had been following us around, everywhere. This was not good. The game continued.

It was down to Rodrick and I. I swallow, not feeling confident. I'd gotten most of the questions so far wrong, and the headache that had come from being transported in came back with a vengeance.

"Rose, in geography, what species came from Rexon 4 of the Rexon system?"

I blinked. "The Carrionites."

"Correct."

Rodrick got his question wrong. "Rose, the oldest inhabitant of the Isop Galaxy is the Face of what?"

"Boe! The face of Boe!"

"That is the correct answer."

Rodrick got the next question right. "Rose, in food, the dish Bouillabaisse originated from what culture of planet Earth?"

I swallowed. And then a memory came back. Bouillabaisse, Ron and Fleur Delacour. "France in Europe." I answered.

Rodrick got the next question wrong. I got my next two wrong, and he got his next two right.

I swore. The Anne Droid said two horrible words. "Sudden Death."

And I lost.

I tried protesting. I tried everything I could think of. Bad Wolf wasn't answering, my magic wasn't working. Nothing worked.

And then the Doctor came in. I ran. But they were too late. I was shot. Pain ripped through me, and I blacked out.

* * *

I woke to the sound of humming. I frown. Was it all just a nightmare? The Game Station? Everything? Or was I dead? I opened my eyes, and came face to face with an eye stalk. A metal eye stalk. A metal eye stalk connected to something horrible. Something I never wanted to see again.

Daleks.

I swear.

And then the Daleks start moving. "Alert. Alert. We are detected."

"It is the Doctor. He has located us. Open communications channel."

"The female will stand. Stand!" I stand, and shuffle over to the feed.

"I will talk to the Doctor."

I see the Doctor give a faint wave and a fake smile. "_Oh, will you? That's nice. Hello!_"

"The Dalek stratagem nears completion. The fleet is almost ready. You will not intervene."

I look at the Doctor. "_Oh, really? Why's that, then?_"

"We have your associate. You will obey or she will be exterminated." I started to wonder what would happen if I was hit by the Dalek ray. Something painful, most likely. But not death.

"_No._" I blink, frowning. What did he mean by that?

"Explain yourself."

"_I said no._"

"What is the meaning of this negative?"

"_It means no._"

"But she will be destroyed."

"_No! Because this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to rescue her. I'm going to save Rose Tyler from the middle of the Dalek fleet. And then I'm going to save the Earth, and then, just to finish off, I'm going to wipe every last stinking Dalek out of the sky!_"

I blinked back tears. "But you have no weapons, no defences, no plan." The Dalek said, confused. Do Daleks get confused?

"_Yeah. And doesn't that scare you to death. Rose?_"

I smile. "Yes. Doctor?"

"_I'm coming to get you._"

The Daleks started going in a frenzy. And then just calling out Exterminate!.

It was boring. But I couldn't do anything. Just wait. One of them turned to me. "You know the Doctor. You understand him. You will predict his actions."

I snort. "Right. I swear, I've known that man a few years now. I'll never understand him. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"Predict! Predict! Predict!"

"TARDIS detected in flight."

"Launch missiles. Exterminate!"

"Fat load of good that'll do."

The Daleks were slowly growning angrier and angrier, until I felt the TARDIS start to materialize.

"Rose, get down!" He only needed to say it once. I ducked, and a shot went over my head. It hit a Dalek behind me.

I swallowed, trying not to cry. "You did it." He runs and hugs me. "Feels like I haven't seen you in years."

He grinned. "I told you I'd come and get you."

"Never doubted it."

"I did. You alright?"

I grin, and grab my bag. "Yeah. You?"

"Not bad, been better."

Jack pipes in. "Hey, don't I get a hug?"

"Oh, come here!"

He grins. "I was talking to him." He hugs me back anyways. "Welcome home."

"I thought I'd never see you again." I said, blinking back tears. In the short time we'd known each other, he'd become something like a brother to me.

"Oh, you were lucky. That was a one shot wonder. Drained the gun of all its power supply. Now it's just a piece of junk." I swallowed.

I turned to the Doctor. "You said they were extinct. How come they're still alive?"

Jack nods beside me. "One minute they're the greatest threat in the Universe, the next minute, they vanish out of time and space."

"They went off to fight a bigger war. The Time War." I swallow whatever I was going to say next.

"I thought that was just a legend." Jack commented.

The Doctor had a far away look in his eyes. "I was there. The was between the Daleks and the Time Lords, with the whole of creation at stake. My people were destroyed, but the took the Daleks with them. I almost thought it was worth it. Now it turns out they died for nothing."

I try to comfort him. But nothing worked, so I gave him the honest truth. "There's thousands of them now. What're we going to do?"

"No good stood round here chin wagging. Human race, you'd gossip all day. The Daleks have got the answers. Let's go and meet the neighbours." The Doctor walked out the doors of the TARDIS.

"You can't go out there!"

He does anyway, and I follow. The beams are just bouncing off a shield outside the TARDIS. "Is that it? Useless. Nul points." He taunts the Daleks, before turning to me. "It's all right, come on out. That forcefield can hold back anything."

"Almost anything." Jack corrected, and I turned to glare at him.

The Doctor gave Jack a pained look. "Yes, but I wasn't going to tell them that. Thanks."

"Sorry."

The Doctor turned back to the Daleks. "Do you know what they call me in the ancient legends of the Dalek Homeworld? The Oncoming Storm. You might've removed all your emotions, but I reckon right down deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left, and that's fear. Doesn't it just burn when you face me? So tell me. How did you survive the Time War?"

"They survived through me." A voice said from our left. A light turns on and we all look at a great big Dalek casing, with a blue-skinned mutant in it, as if it was on a throne.

The Doctor swallowed. "Rose, Captain. This is the Emperor of the Daleks."

"You destroyed us, Doctor. The Dalek race died in your inferno, but my ship survived, falling through time, crippled but alive."

"I get it."

The Daleks around us started yelling at us not to interrupt.

"I think you're forgetting something. I'm the Doctor, and if there's one thing I can do, it's talk. I've got five billion languages, and you haven't got one way of stopping me. So if anybody's going to shut up, it's you! Okey doke. So, where were we?"

"A woman by the name of Balfowd came, tried destroying us, but failed. We ended up in the dark space, damaged, but rebuilding. Centuries passed, and we quietly infiltrated the systems of Earth, harvesting the waste of humanity. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed. They all came to us. The bodies were filtered, pulped, sifted. The seed of the human race is perverted. Only one cell in a billion was fit to be nurtured." I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. I could hear a wolf howling, angry. I was too.

"So you create an army of Daleks out of the dead."

I glare. "That makes them half human."

"Those words are blasphemy."

The Daleks started chanting "Do not blaspheme."

The Emperor continued. "Everything human has been purged. I cultivated pure and blessed Dalek."

"Since when did the Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?" The Doctor asked, poking a little hole in the Emperor's declaration.

"I reached into the dirt and made new life. I am the God of all Daleks!"

And all the Daleks started saying "Worship him."

The Doctor frowned. "They're insane. Hiding in silence for hundreds of years, that's enough to drive anyone mad. But it's worse than that. Driven mad by your own flesh. The stink of humanity. You hate your own existence. And that makes them more deadly than ever." I wonder if anything that happened would ever make them less deadly than before? "We're going."

The Emperor and the rest of the Daleks tried protesting, but it didn't work well.

The TARDIS took off, and reappeared on Level 500. Or I figured it was. Last time I was here, it was dead cold, and everything was iced up.

The Doctor ran to the rest of the people in the room, and began barking out orders. It wasn't until they mentioned a Delta Wave that I became concerned.

"What's a Delta Wave?"

"A wave of Van Cassadyne energy. It fries your brain. Stand in the way of a Delta Wave, and your head gets barbequed." Jack explained. I swallowed. That wasn't good. The Doctor ran, starting to build what he would need.

I helped as much as I could, but it wasn't much. People started filing out, until all that was left was Jack, the Doctor and I.

"It's been fun, but I guess this is goodbye."

I'm about to cry. I know what happens next. And because I know it, I can't stop it. "Don't talk like that. The Doctor's going to do it. You just watch him."

Jack gives me a grin. He hugs me holding me close. "Hermione, you are worth fighting for." He pulls back and kisses me. He turns to the Doctor. "Wish I'd never met you, Doctor. I was much better off as a coward." He kisses him too. "See you in hell."

A few minutes later and I was thinking something. "Suppose."

"What?" The Doctor said, looking up.

"Nothing."

He frowned. "You said suppose."

"No, I was just thinking. I mean, obviously you can't, but, you've got a time machine. Why can't you just go back to last week and warn them."

The Doctor sighs. "As soon as the TARDIS lands in that second, I become past of events, stuck in the timeline."

"Yeah, thought it'd be something like that."

He looked down, speaking cautiously. "There's another thing the TARDIS could do. It could take us away. We could leave. Let history take its course. We go to Marbella in 1989."

I look at him. "Yeah, but you'd never do that."

"No, but you could ask." I blink, frowning. He's watching me closely. "Never occurred to you, did it?"

I snort. "I couldn't. I couldn't ask you to."

"The Delta Wave's started building. How long does it need?" We run over to the console, and I read what's written. I don't understand it. The Doctor's face falls.

"Is that bad? Okay, it's bad. How bad is it?" I look at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind.

His face lit up. "Rose Tyler, you're a genius! We can do it. If I use the TARDIS to cross my old timeline. Yes!" He runs into the TARDIS, and I follow. He tells me to hold on to something, and keep it down, while he goes and gets something.

"Doctor, what're you doing? Can I take my hand off?" The TARDIS starts. "It's moving." The door shuts, and a sinking feeling that started a minute ago gets worse in my chest. I pound on the door. "Doctor, let me out! What've you done?!"

And then the TARDIS is gone from the timeline. A hologram of the Doctor appears.

"_This is Emergency Programme One. Rose, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing. We must be in danger. And I mean fatal. I'm dead, or about to die any second with no chance of escape._"

I cry out. Damn you, you crazy bastard.

"_And that's okay. Hope it's a good death. But I promised to look after you, and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home._"

"You big dolt. I was home to begin with. I'm not even in the right time!" I cry out. The TARDIS tries to comfort me mentally, but with the potion, it doesn't work.

"_And I bet you're fussing and moaning now. Typical. But hold on and just listen a bit more. The TARDIS can never return for me. Emergency Programme One means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do. Let the TARDIS die. Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it. No one'll even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world'll move on and the box will be buried. And if you want to remember me, then you can do one thing. That's all, one thing._" Something happens to the hologram, and it looks straight at me. "_Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life._"

The hologram stops.

"No, you can't do this to me! You can't. Take me back! Take me back! NO!" The engine stops, and a brief flicker of hope that she's heard comes to surface. I run to the door, throwing it open, only to see the Powell Estate. "Come on, help me! Please!"

I go and sit outside leaning on the TARDIS doors.

Mickey comes up, grinning. "I knew it! I was all the way down Clifton Parade, and I heard the engines. I thought, there's only one thing that makes a noise like that." He sees me, sees that I've been crying. "What is it?" I get up and hug him. I start sobbing.

We end up at a cafe with Jackie. They're talking about food. Trying to make conversation, but all I can think about is he left me. He left me.

"Oh Rose, have something to eat."

I bite back a sob. "Two hundred thousand years in the future, he's dying, and there's nothing I can do." I blink, trying to take in that fact.

"Well, like you said, two hundred thousand years. It's way off." Jackie tried.

"But it's not. It's now. That fighting is happening right now, and he's fighting for us, for the whole planet, and I'm just sitting here, eating chips."

Jackie sighs. "Listen to me. God knows I have hated that man, but right now, I love him and do you know why? Because he dd the right thing. He sent you back to me."

I give her a look, and run out of the shop. They follow. I ran back to the TARDIS, just in time for the potion to completely wear off. Mickey blinks at me, uncertain now that I am back to being Hermione. Jackie just gives me a hug.

"I've been fighting for him for years. And he leaves me behind." I glance at the TARDIS and realize something.

I swallow. I look at Jackie and Mickey, and they realize that I know something else.

"I'm going back."

"No, don't sweetheart. He brought you back."

I blink, trying to hold back tears. "But I know what happens. I know how this has to end. And I know what I've got to do. So I'm asking you nicely. Leave the TARDIS. You shouldn't have to be here." Jackie swallows, looking in my eyes.

She must have seen something, because she said goodbye and dragged Mickey out. I shut the door behind them.

I sat down, and mentally connected with the TARDIS.

"I know what I have to do." I saw flashes of death. Pain. "Well then, I'll make it so I don't die. I'll change myself." A questioning tone resounded in my head. "I don't know, something that will make it so I don't have to die. And he doesn't have to either." Another questioning tone, this one asking if I was sure. "I've got to do this. I can't let him die alone. I can't walk away from him." I stood up.

An affirmative tone sounded across the room. And then the hatch opened.

I looked into the Time Vortex, taking it in. I could feel Bad Wolf taking over, and the TARDIS guiding me and telling me what to do. I thread DNA and TNA like it was string, weaving it together, mashing up my DNA. And then the pain hit.

I felt every molecule in my body change it's DNA into something new. Something never before seen. Part Time Lord, part Witch. I screamed, feeling the change in my body.

My head started to burn, and I felt my body trigger the regeneration process. I was dimly aware that I burst into a gold star, only to have it retreat a moment later.

I stepped, unsteadily. I had to save the Doctor. The TARDIS started the course, and I wondered what I looked like. I grabbed my purse, and took out a small mirror.

There was no difference. And then my brain caught up.

My eyes were glowing gold, but other than that, there was no difference between my new reflection and the reflection I saw after I took the potion. No more Rose Tyler.

And two hearts now. I frowned, wondering how I would keep that a secret from the Doctor. I couldn't exactly keep erasing his memories.

And then I grinned. I could do magic now. Full blown magic, because the potion wasn't in me anymore. I felt energized, and the Time Vortex had stopped hurting me. I'd almost forgotten it was even in my head.

The TARDIS landed, and I floated out. Bad Wolf took over.

"What've you done?" The Doctor cried.

"_I looked into the TARDIS, and the TARDIS looked into me._"

The Doctor looked shocked. "You looked into the Time Vortex. Rose, no one's meant to see that."

The Emperor, who was on the screen spoke, "_This is the Abomination!_"

"Exterminate!" A Dalek said. I stop the beam with my hand.

"_I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself. I take the words, I scatter them in time and space. A message to lead myself here._" Because I could see everything, the past, the present, what should be and what is. And me, being here as Rose Tyler should be. It always should be.

"Rose, you've got to stop this. You've got to stop this now. You've got the entire vortex running through your head. You're going to burn." The Doctor said, getting up from where he was sprawled out.

"_I want you safe. My Doctor. Protected from the false god._"

The Emperor spoke again. "_You cannot hurt me. I am immortal._"

I glare. "_You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence, and I divide them._"

I was a little supercharged. I'd just regenerated though, in all fairness. One Dalek disintegrates.

"_Everything must come to dust. All things. Everything dies. The Time War ends._" I said. The Daleks and their ships crumble, and I can feel my magic spread out.

"Rose, you've done it. Now stop. Just let go." The Doctor said.

"_How can I let go of this? I bring life._" I found Jack's body, and sent the magic needed to resurrect him. Bad Wolf had control, and I tried fighting. But it didn't work. She was too strong. She had too much power.

"But this is wrong! You can't control life and death."

"_But I can. The sun and the moon, the day and night. But why do they hurt?_" I frown. Bad Wolf's senses expanded even further.

"This power's going to kill you and it's all my fault." I want to smack him. It's all _my_ fault. I let Bad Wolf have the power. And she wouldn't let go.

"_I can see everything. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be._" Look and see the time line that needed to happen. But I couldn't see the end. I couldn't see past ending up in the alternate universe.

The Doctor smiles. "That's what I see. All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad?"

Bad Wolf gave up control at that point, knowing that I would need it back. "My head..." The second Bad Wolf pulled away, and went back into her portrait, my head started to throb.

"Come here."

"It's killing me." He pulls me close.

He smiles. "I think you need a Doctor." I snort at the line, and then he kisses me. I feel the Time Vortex of the TARDIS slipping through my mental fingers, like water, flowing into him. And I feel another thrum, the thrum of my own Time Vortex, inside of me.

When the last of the TARDIS's Time Vortex is gone, I feel myself blackout.

* * *

I wake up with the uncomfortable grating digging into my cheek. "What happened?" I asked, looking around the TARDIS. The Doctor is standing at the console, and I frown. He doesn't look so good.

"Don't you remember?"

I frown. "It's like there was this singing."

"That's right. I sang a song and the Daleks ran away." He said.

Bits and pieces of the memories of the past day came back. "I was at home. No, I wasn't, I was in the TARDIS, and there was this light." I sigh, frowning. "I can't remember anything else."

The Doctor looks down, and pales. He looks back at me. "Rose Tyler. I was gonna take you to so many places. Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. You'd love it. Fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses. Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny."

I frown, looking at him. What happened? "Then, why can't we go?"

"Maybe you will, and maybe I will. But not like this."

I frown. "You're not making any sense."

"I might never make sense again. I might have two heads, or no head. Imagine me with no head." I start smiling. "And don't say that's an improvement. But it's a bit dodgy, this process. You never know what you're going to end up with." He doubles over in pain. I try rushing for him.

"Doctor!"

"Stay away!"

I frown. "Doctor, tell me what's going on." I really hope it wasn't what I was thinking.

"I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex, and no one's meant to do that. Every cell in my body is dying."

I try not to sob, but one comes out. "Can't you do something?"

"Yeah, I'm doing it now. Time Lords have this little trick, it's sort of a way of cheating death. Except it means I'm going to change, and I'm not going to see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go-"

"Don't say that." I said, tears running down my face.

"Rose, before I go, I just want to tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what?" He asked. I shake my head, trying not to cry. "So was I."

He bursts into golden light. Everything changes very suddenly, and then someone else is standing there. Someone in the Doctor's leather jacket.

It was my old Doctor. Or apparently new Doctor. I swallowed, watching him closely.

"Hello, Okay. Ooo, new teeth. That's weird." He runs his tongue over his teeth. "So, where was I? Oh, that's right. Barcelona."


	11. Intermission 1

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, GryffinPuffGirl and Emaelin, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: So the chapter after this is where canon starts being deviated from. Just a little bit.

**A/N 2**: Please, someone tell me what they think of Maria. I'm not asking for my health. I'd like to know so that I know about my skills as a writer. Because I really can't tell, given as I know all of the characters secrets, and every little thing I say about a character feels like 'everyone is going to know the secret'.

**A/N 3**: I am currently in university, and my studies are a priority. Knowing that, please be forgiving when I don't post as often.

**A/N 4**: Alright, boys and girls, this isn't a real chapter. This is a brief intermission, which has a relation to the story. It has Amy and Rory in it. SPOILERS for The Angels Take Manhattan! This is in honour of their 'death'.

**NEEDED: **

Someone familiar with the early Who. Preferably Doctors 3-5. And someone with knowledge of Gallifrey. It's for another story, but I don't want to make things up, and I don't want to screw everything up. TARDIS files only has so much.

**Intermission 1**: Amy, Rory and Maria

They'd barely been in New York for two weeks when someone knocked on their door. Amy frowned. Rory frowned. Their little one bedroom apartment was the best they could get. Amy got into publishing, joining a man named Billy Shipton. Rory went to re-qualify for his nursing exams. He figured he would get a job, most likely before the second world war. They hadn't made any friends, and outside of the manager of the building, there was no one who could knock on their door. Amy got up from their small sitting room first, going to open the door.

"Hello?"

Standing on their doorstep was a woman with bright red hair, and TARDIS blue eyes. "Hello dearies. How's New York?"

Rory came up behind Amy, looking on in shock as an old friend stood on their door mat. "How can you be here? The Doctor said it was-" Rory started, frowning.

"Impossible? I'm sure he has no true idea of the word." Maria said, grinning.

Amy blinked, confused, "But wait, how did you get here? The Doctor said he can't land the TARDIS, and I doubt the vortex manipulator would work."

"Spoilers, Ponds. Are you going to invite me in? I mean, you did hit me with a car."

Rory grumbled, "I did apologize. And you're fine now."

"Come in." Amy said, grinning, going to hug Maria. "Where are you in your timeline?"

Maria frowned, thinking, "The Byzantium? That was when I last saw you Amy, and I went to say hi to Rory at the Pandorica."

"I am sorry about that again." Amy said, frowning. She walked into the little kitchen they had, and started making tea. Rory lead Maria into the living room.

Rory takes a seat, and Maria perches on an arm of a chair. "So why are you here?" Rory asked, giving her an evaluating stare.

"Well, I figure you two would be bored. I've got HQ up and running. Wondered if you wanted to come?"

Amy ran into the room, "We can't. Rory's buried here. We die here."

Maria gave Amy a large smile. "Well, that's the ending. Do you know how you two got there? Hmmm?"

Amy's jaw dropped. Rory blinked. "Wait, you're telling us that you can take us out of here, and that won't cause a paradox?"

"I can even set up a tombstone with your names on it. You two don't know if you're actually buried under there." Maria laughed.

Amy and Rory looked at each other, having a silent conversation. "I don't know. We'd kind of like to settle down a bit."

"Remember our conversation on Demon's Run?" Maria asked, giving them a grin.

It took a few minutes before Amy and Rory figured out what she was talking about. "You mean?"

"Yes."

"And you can..."

"Of course."

Amy and Rory looked at each other, having another silent conversation, "Where do we sign up?"


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: So the chapter after this is where canon starts being deviated from. Just a little bit.

**A/N 2**: Please, someone tell me what they think of Maria. I'm not asking for my health. I'd like to know so that I know about my skills as a writer. Because I really can't tell, given as I know all of the characters secrets, and every little thing I say about a character feels like 'everyone is going to know the secret'.

**A/N 3**: I am currently in university, and my studies are a priority. Knowing that, please be forgiving when I don't post as often.

**A/N 4**: What? I said sometime 'before Halloween'? It is before Halloween boys and girls. The end of the half season encouraged me to write. I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend. And please, if you match the criteria below, I do need someone to talk to. If you are worried about spoilers, don't be. It's all theoretical.

**NEEDED:**

Someone familiar with the early Who. Preferably Doctors 3-5. And someone with knowledge of Gallifrey. It's for another story, but I don't want to make things up, and I don't want to screw everything up. TARDIS files only has so much.

**Part 2**: Relearning Life and Death

**Chapter 11**: Christmas at the Powell Estates

He didn't look so good, and his piloting was worse than normal. We did land (that was a given), but not before I gained a dozen or so new bruises.

The Doctor rushes to the doors, throws them open, and starts babbling. I run up behind him, but he's collapsed into Mickey and Jackie's arms.

"What happened? Is he alright?" I ask, looking at the two of them. This was not going to be fun explaining.

Mickey frowned. "I dunno, he just keeled right over. But who is he? Where's the Doctor?"

I swallow. "That's him, right in front of you. That's the Doctor."

"What do you mean, that's the Doctor? Doctor who?" Jackie questioned, confused.

It took some time, but we did finally get the Doctor up to the flat. With a quick spell, I changed him, and hovered him into bed. Jackie comes in with a stethoscope, but I wave her off. A few more spells, and I can see that most of his systems are starting to slow.

Why? Why is he starting to die, and how can I save him?

I tried a few spells, but nothing worked.

Jackie and I walk out of the room, and I go to the fridge, her following me.

"How can he go changing his face? Is that a different face or is he a different person?" Jackie asked. Good question.

I take a deep breath before answering. "Well, S'like this. He changes his face and his personality, but at the very essence, he's still the Doctor."

She frowns. "And what happened to you?

"It's only been a few hours or so since I saw you last. Since then, I've done something kind of dangerous and mildly stupid, changed my DNA, and changed my face too."

"But you still look like Rose." Jackie said, frowning.

I sigh. "Exactly. I haven't taken the potion again, and I look like Rose Tyler."

"How does that work?"

I swallow, trying to understand it myself. "What I can figure is this, regeneration changes your body. My body was already used to changing to look like this. So it changed the way it normally did. I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth." I smile. "I can do magic again. It feels bloody amazing." I frown, looking at her. "The big question though is, where'd you get a pair of men's pyjamas from?"

"Howard's been staying over." Jackie said, looking down.

I think, trying to place a face with the name. "What, Howard from the market? How long's that been going on?"

"A month or so. First of all, he starts delivering to the door, and I thought, that's odd. Next thing you know, it's a bag of oranges..." I glance at the telly to see Harriet Jones on the news.

"Is that Harriet Jones?" I run into the living room. At Jackie's words I feel a pang of guilt, but I ignore it. There are more pressing issues. "Why's she on the telly?"

Jackie laughed a little. "She's Prime Minister now. I'm eighteen quid a week better off. They're calling it Britain's Golden Age. I keep on saying my Rose has met her."

I smile. "Did more than that. Stopped World War Three with her. Harriet Jones."

* * *

Mickey and I run to the shops, looking for wrapping paper. I didn't even know it was Christmas.

"So, what's Christmas like, where you're from?" Mickey asked.

I smile, "You mean like in the wizarding world?" He nods. "Well, I usually celebrated it at boarding school. It was magical, to use the clichéd term. The Great Hall, the one we ate in, had tons of floating candles, and there were tons of Christmas trees, and it was beautiful. When I got out of Hogwarts, I spent the day at the Weasley's house. I always got a Weasley jumper and some fudge. Mrs. Weasley would cook for a small army, and that's really what we were. We'd somehow manage to get all of the family around the table. And that is over twenty people. It was loud, and it was amazing."

I swallow, trying to stop the tears forming in my eyes. I missed them, badly. "Um, Rose. There's an owl, with somethin' on it's leg staring at you." Mickey said, staring at the owl. I look up, seeing it was a pure white owl.

"Hedwig." I called, running over to the tree. She flutters down a few branches, so that she's within arm's reach. I dig around my bag, seeing if I had any owl treats. I did, and held out my hand, offering them to her. She flew down to my arm, landing and eating the treats. I untied the package from her foot, and smiled to her. "Tell Harry I said Happy Christmas." She flies off, leaving me with a confused Mickey.

"What was that?"

I laugh. "Owls deliver post in my world. That was a dear friend's owl." I glance down at the package, tempted to open it. "Come on, lets go find wrapping paper. Gotta wrap everyone's presents." Mickey laughed.

We talk for a while, entering the market. I glance at the Santa's only to see them following us. I swallow. They stop playing and I immediately duck, dragging Mickey down with me.

A burst of fire goes over our heads, and I turn, firing off spells rapidly. They were robotic, but that never stopped me. They were all toast, and I could feel the magic hovering in the air, like a few people were going to apparate.

"What's going on? What've we done? Why are they after us?" I sigh.

"Hang on. Don't let go." I said, looking at him. He frowns, but nods. I took his arm and apparated us to the alleyway in front of the apartment. "They're after the Doctor."

Mickey rolls his eyes. "I can't even go shopping with you. We get attacked by a brass band." I take out my phone, checking to make sure the magic didn't kill it, before dialling Jackie's number.

Jackie's on the line right now. I swear.

"Who were those Santa things?"

"I don't know. I've never seen them before. But think about it. They were after us. What's important about us? Well, outside of the fact that I'm a witch, nothing, except the one thing we've got tucked up in bed. The Doctor."

We run into the flat, and Jackie's still talking on the phone.

"Get off the phone."

She blinks at me. "It's only Bev. She says hello."

"Bev? Yeah. Look, it'll have to wait." I grab the phone from her, hanging it up. "Right, it's not safe. We've got to get out. Where can we go?"

"My man Stan, he'll put us up."

I shake my head. "That's only two streets away." I swear. "Think, think. Harry would most likely be at the Burrow, we can go to Grimmauld." I nod, satisfied with the answer.

"No, it's Christmas Eve! We're not going anywhere! What're you babbling about?"

I don't answer, my eyes drawing to the Christmas tree in the room. I swallow. The Doctor's written book (A Journal of Impossible Things) always had warnings about killer Christmas trees. "Jackie, where'd you get the that tree?"

"I thought it was you."

I frown. "How can it be me?"

"Well, you went shopping. There was a ring at the door, and there it was!"

I shake my head, watching the tree warily. "No, that wasn't me." The tree lights up, and Jingle Bells stars playing.

"Really? Of all things that could attack?!" I cried out, rolling my eyes.

Chunks of the tree begin to rotate in different directions. That creates a strong wind. And then it moves, taking out the coffee table.

"Get out!" Mickey yelled, trying to push Jackie and I back. I glare at him, stepping in front and casting an explosion spell at the tree. Nothing happened.

"Alright, I'm leaving." I turn, going into the Doctor's make-shift room. "We've got to save the Doctor."

Jackie yells at me, but tries to help. And then Mickey joins us. They shut the door, and push a wardrobe in front of it.

"Doctor wake up!" I try and give him the sonic.

Jackie looks terrified. "I'm going to get killed by a Christmas tree!"

The tree makes it through the wardrobe, and I have an idea. I whisper in his ear. "Help me."

He suddenly sits up, and aims the screwdriver at the tree. It explodes. "Remote control. But who's controlling it?"

The Doctor gets up, puts on a housecoat, and walks outside in slippers.

Mickey points them out, and I shush him. The Doctor aims the screwdriver at them, and they back off before being beamed away.

"They've just gone. What kind of rubbish were they? I mean, no offence, but they're not much cop if a sonic screwdriver's going to scare them off." Mickey commented.

"Pilot fish." I frown.

"What?"

"They were just pilot fish." He doubles over in pain.

"What's wrong?" I look at him, concerned.

He gives me a look. "You woke me up too soon. I'm still regenerating. I'm bursting with energy." He exhales, giving a burst of golden energy. Jackie looks about to comment, but I elbow her. "You see? The pilot fish could smell it a million miles away. So they eliminate the defence, that's you lot, and they carry me off. They could run their batteries on my for a couple of ow!"

Jackie tries helping him by guessing at what he needs. "I need you to shut up." He says finally.

"Oh, he hasn't changed that much, has he?"

"We haven't got much time. If there's pilot fish, then... Why's there an apple in my dressing gown?"

"Oh, that's Howard. Sorry."

He blinks. "He keeps apples in his dressing gown?"

"He gets hungry."

"What-"

"Focus!" I yell, glaring at the two of them.

"Argh! Brain collapsing. The pilot fish. The pilot fish mean that something, something, something is coming." And with that lovely thought, he passes out.

I swallow, intent on hovering him back to the bedroom. I do so, and when he's back, I check his vitals. Only one heart's working. I swallow again.

Mickey updates me on pilot fish, and I frown.

The doorbell goes. We all share a look. I really hope there isn't another Christmas tree coming. I quickly cast a few charms to repair the hall, and glance at the door, cautious.

A voice calls through it. "Hermione Jean Granger, or Rose Marion Tyler, which ever you prefer, open up."

I blink. I open the door, seeing another Doctor standing there, attempting to looks sauve. He raises his eyebrows, and goes to kiss me. I hold him back.

I give him a glare. "You're crossing your own timeline. That's a big no-no."

"Who is it?" Jackie called, coming up behind us.

I open my mouth, then shut it. How to explain this?

The Doctor answers for me. "Hello, good to see you again Jackie. I'm the Doctor." She blinks.

"Now there are two of them?"

I sigh. "He seems to be rubbish at explaining things. He's from the future, coming back in time to give me things, that I apparently need." I turned to him. "How's Maria?" I ask, cross.

He blinks, surprise jumping across his face. "She's well. Haven't seen her in a little bit. She keeps jumping in and out of my timeline."

"You have kids together."

He frowns. "How do you..." He trails off, thinking. "Ah yes, you met Rio with Big-Ears. I forgot."

I glare at him. "And where do I fit into all of this? You've got kids, and Maria, who I'm guessing is your wife." I'm angry.

"You are still a huge part of my life." I swallow, blinking. Tears formed, and I whipped them away.

Jackie, unfortunately caught all of this. "You're married. To someone else. And leading my Rose on."

He smiles weakly. "It's complicated." She slaps him. "I really don't think I deserved that." She slaps him again.

"Mum, go sit, make sure Mickey doesn't hack into the government again."

She glares at the Doctor before walking away.

I sigh. "So why are you here now?"

He looks at me. "You've regenerated, and are now part Time Lord. He can't know." The Doctor said, jerking a thumb to the other room, where the other Doctor was. "You need to wear the locket at all times. It's going to make you appear human."

I swallow. "Another one of the things the locket does?"

He nods. He's about to speak, but gets cut off by Mickey, yelling "Rose. Take a look. I've got access to the military. They're tracking a spaceship. It's big, it's fast and it's coming this way."

I look at the Doctor. "That's all I have to say. You can walk away still, you know that, right?"

I frown. "Look, I'm tired of you telling me I can still walk away. I've stuck with you for more than two years, waited for you for a year and a half. If you think something you've got to say can make me walk away, you've got another thing coming."

He smiles, kisses me, and then disappears. I swallow, going into the living room.

"Mickey, what'd I tell you about hacking into the military? And coming for what, though? The Doctor?"

Mickey shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's coming for all of us." He frowns. "Have you seen them before?"

"No."

Jackie goes to check on the Doctor, and Mickey and I watch the news. When she doesn't come back for a little bit, I go and check on her.

She's asleep on part of the bed. I swallow. Mickey comes up behind me. "I don't know what's wrong. I've seen him change his DNA so he's human before, I've seen him do all sorts of things. But he's never been so still."

"You really love him, don't you?" He hugs me, and I try not to sob.

The night is long and quiet. I try to take my mind off things by wrapping presents, but it doesn't work, when dawn breaks, there is a huge commotion.

One of the women living in another flat comes out. I call to her.

She's following her husband, who seems to be walking all on his own. "He won't listen. He's just walking. He won't stop walking! There's this sort of light thing. Jason? Stop it right now! Please, Jason, just stop."

Mickey and I glance over the balcony, and see tons of people all walking. We follow everyone to the roof.

"What do we do?" Mickey asked me quietly.

I swallow. "Nothing. I don't know. I've never seen mind control on this scale, at this scale."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's a long story."

We end up back in front of the telly. Harriet Jones is speaking to the nation. She ends with this: "But I have one request. Doctor, if you're out there, we need you. I don't know what to do. If you can hear me, Doctor. If anyone knows the Doctor, if anyone can find him, the situation has never been more desperate. Help us. Please, Doctor. Help us. God help us."

I struggle not to cry. "He can't be gone. He just can't." Jackie and Mickey try to comfort me, but all I can do is stare.

The glass in the flat shatters, and we all run to the room. "They're here. Mum, get your stuff, and get some food. We're going."

"Where to?"

I swallow, making an executive decision. "The TARDIS. I can ward it a bit more, but she doesn't need it in the first place."

"What're we going to do in there?"

I sigh. "Hide."

Jackie looks outraged. "Is that it?"

"Look, Mum, I can only do so much. You've just got to trust me. Please." She nods and runs off. Mickey helps her. I levitate the Doctor, casting a notice-me-not charm on us. I get into the TARDIS, and go back to help Mum and Mickey. We run with a few bags.

"No chance you could fly this thing?" Mickey asked, frowning.

"Not anymore, no."

"Well, you did it before."

I sigh. "That was different. And besides, I didn't do the flying, I just told her where to go. Try it again though, and I think the Universe rips in half."

"Ah, better not then."

I give him a grin. Jackie runs in with food, only to run back out again. Mickey goes to the scanner, which has got an odd pattern on it, I've never seen.

"Maybe it's a distress signal."

I sigh. "Not much that can do."

"Well, hopefully you can cook better than Jackie." I laugh.

"Speaking of her, she should have been back. I'll go check and see if she needs help."

I get outside, and get grabbed by a alien. We're in a space ship. I elbow him, fighting him off.

"Alright wise guy, nice try. I won't go anywhere, and you don't get grabby? Agreed?"

Mickey runs out, and thankfully closes the door. My last glance in the room is a thermos of tea emptying out on the floor. She won't like that much.

A woman calls out. "Rose!" I turn and see Harriet coming. She hugs me. "Oh, my precious thing. The Doctor, is he with you?"

"No. We're on out own for now." I glance at everyone else, noticing Percy.

"Of course, aliens show up, you're not that far behind." I laugh, and Percy hugs me.

I give him a glare. "What are you doing here? It's Christmas."

He gives me a smile, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Well, I figure you'd be here eventually. And then I'd be home in time for supper."

"Can't depend on me all the time."

The uglies start talking, and the TARDIS doesn't translate. The other man, who's reading off a hand-held device, translates, "The yellow girl. She has the clever blue box. Therefore, she speaks for your planet."

"But she can't." Harriet said, trying to protect me.

I shake my head. "I can."

"Don't you dare." Mickey said.

"Someone's got to be the Doctor."

Harriet tried to reason with me. "They'll kill you."

"Never stopped him." I step forward, trying to remember everything the Doctor had said. "What are they called?" I ask, turning to her.

"Sycorax." She hissed. I nodded.

"I seek audience with the Sycorax under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation." When no answer was given. "I demand you leave here at once. You are invading, plain and simple."

The Sycorax laugh. The guy translating says, "You are very, very funny. And now you're going to die."

I give them a look. "I don't think you really want to do that. The Daleks have a name for me. The Abomination. The Time Lords have legend about me. Balfowd. Do you really want to piss me off?"

The guy, Alex, translated the Sycorax's response. "Did you think you were clever with your stolen words? We are the Sycorax, we stride the darkness. Next to us, you are but a wailing child. If you are the best your planet can offer as a champion then your world will be gutted."

Only the Sycorax said the last half of the sentence first. I swallow.

"Any your people enslaved."

"Hold on, that's English." Alex said, frowning.

"He's talking English." Harriet said, in awe.

"The TARDIS is translating again, which means..." I turn to the TARDIS. The doors open, and out steps the Doctor.

"Did you miss me?" The Sycorax in charge cracks his whip, and the Doctor catches it, and pulls it out of his hand. "You could have someone's eye out with that."

"How dare!" He reaches over and takes a club out of someone else's hands. He breaks it across his knee.

"You just can't get the staff. Now, you, just wait. I'm busy." He said, condescending. The Sycorax blinks. The Doctor ignores him and turns to the humans and I who were waiting for him. "Mickey, hello! And Harriet Jones MP for Flydale North. Percy, good to see you. Blimey, it's like This Is Your Life." He turns to me. "Tea! That's all I needed, a good cup of tea! Superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing the synapses. Now, first thing's first. Be honest, how do I look?"

I blink, thinking for a moment he was crazy. And then all my memories of his came back, and I decided he was always strange in with this face. "Er, different." It's really the only response I've got.

"Good different or bad different?"

I swallow. "Just different."

He gets close, and serious. "Am I ginger?" Percy snorts.

I glance up. "No, you're just sort of brown."

He frowns, and then has a tantrum. "I wanted to be ginger. I've never been ginger." He rounds on me. "And you, Rose Tyler, fat lot of good you were. You gave up on me." He blinks, frowning. "Oh, that's rude. That's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude." He sighs. "Rude and not ginger."

Harriet frowns. "I'm sorry. Who is this?"

"I'm the Doctor."

I nod, restating it. Harriet frowns, protesting. And the Doctor tells her something only he would know.

"Oh, my God."

"Did you win the election?"

She grins. "Landslide majority."

The Sycorax have gathered their wits. "If I might interrupt."

The Doctor turns, hands in his pockets. "Yes, sorry. Hello, big fellow."

"Who exactly are you?"

"Well, that's the question."

"I demand to know who you are!"

The Doctor mocks him, "I don't know!" Continuing in a normal voice, he says: "See, there's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested. Am I funny? Am I sarcastic?" He gives me a look, "Sexy?" Turning back to the Sycorax, "Right old misery? Life and soul? Right handed? Left handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob." He turns a corner, and spots something. We all follow him. "And how am I going to react when I see this, a great big threatening button. A great big threatening button which must not be pressed under any circumstances, am I right? Let me guess. It's some sort of control matrix, hmm? Hold on, what's feeding it?" He crouches down and opens the pillar.

"And what have we got here? Blood?" He sticks his finger in it and tastes. "Yeah, definitely blood. Human blood. A Positive, with just a dash of iron." He rolls his tongue, trying to get rid of the taste. "Ah, but that means..." he grins, "Blood control. Blood control! Oh, I haven't seen blood control for years. You're controlling all the A Positives. Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem. Because I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop. SO if I see a great big threatening button which should never, ever, ever be pressed, then I just want to do this." He pounds the button hard.

Harriet yells, "No!"

Alex cries out, "You killed them!"

"What do you think, big fellow? Are they dead?"

The Sycorax growled. "We allow them to live."

"Allow? You've no choice. I mean, that's all blood control is. A cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis. You can hypnotise someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis. You can't hypnotise them to death. Survival instinct's too strong." He explains.

The Sycorax glares at the Doctor. "Blood control was only one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force."

The Doctor frowns. "Well, yeah, you could, yeah, you could do that, of course you could. But why? Look at these people. These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever been seen. More to do than." He blinks, frowning. "No, hold on. Sorry, that's The Lion King. But the point still stands. Leave them alone!"

"Or what?"

"Or..." He grabs a sword from one of the Sycorax, and runs down to the TARDIS. "I challenge you."

I swallow, grabbing a sword. "We challenge you."

There is laughter. "Rose, no. I can do this."

"Fat lot of good that is. I'm an Earthling. I deserve to fight for my planet too." He frowns, but shrugs.

"Well, that stuck a cord." He comments, glancing around the room. "Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?"

"You both stand as this world's champion."

The Doctor grins. "Thank you. I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up." He removes his dressing gown, and throws it at Mickey, who looks terrified.

"I always stand as a champion." I say. The leader frowns.

"So you accept our challenge? Or are you just a cranak pel casacree salvak?" The Doctor said. I frown at the words, assuming they were an insult.

He gets into an appropriate stance, and I mimic it.

The Sycorax leader gestures for another to aid him. "For the planet?"

"For the planet." I agreed. We sat for a moment, before leaping into action.

I could tell that the Doctor might have been a little out of his league. And I was rusty. The Doctor retreats up a tunnel, opening a door. "Bit of fresh air?" I manage to get back into the swing of things, vowing to practice later, and move the second Sycorax up the tunnel too.

I glance for a second to see how the Doctor is doing, and he's been driven back to the edge, and hit in the nose. I growl. A quick chop, and I cripple the Sycorax that I am fighting. I run to the Doctor, but he's been knocked over. The leader slashes, and the sword and the hand fall down to Earth. I swallow.

"You cut my hand off." He says, blinking.

The Sycorax seems to think this a victory.

The Doctor disagrees. "And now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky. Because quite by chance, I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle, which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy to do this." He grows a new hand.

The Sycorax chops that one off too. The Doctor frowns, and another hand grows back. On instinct, the Sycorax chops that hand off too.

"Would you stop doing that?!" He yells. He ducks out of the way of the sword coming for that hand.

The Sycorax frowns. "Witchcraft."

"Time Lord." He says, grinning a little condescendingly.

I yell for him, and he turns. I throw him my sword.

"Oh, so I'm still the Doctor, then?"

I laugh. "No arguments from me!"

He grins and turns to the Sycorax. "Want to know the best bit? This new hand? It's a fighting hand!" They fight again. The Doctor manages to disarm the Sycorax after the first few swings. The Sycorax falls on the edge, over looking London. "I win."

"Then kill me."

He looks at him. "I'll spare your life if you'll take this Champion's command. Leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?"

"Yes."

"Swear on the blood of your species."

"I swear."

He grins. "There we are, then. Thanks for that. Cheers, big fellow!" I run to him. "Not bad for a man in his jim-jams." Mickey throws us the dressing gown, and I help him put it on. "Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man." He reaches into his pocket. "Hold on, what have I got here?" He pulls out an orange. "A satsuma. Ah, that friend of your mothers. He does like his snacks, doesn't he? But doesn't that just sum up Christmas? You go through all those presents, and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?"

I hear the Sycorax leader get up. The Doctor throws the orange at the exterior control panel. I see out of the corner of my eye, a piece of wing falls off, bringing the Sycorax with it.

"No second chances. I'm that sort of a man."

I walk into the spaceship, holding the Doctor's hand. He addresses the Sycorax population.

"By the ancient rites of combat, we forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time."

I speak up, cutting him off. "And when you go back to the stars and tell others of this planet, when you tell them of it's riches, it's people, it's potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure you tell them this. It is defended."

We get beamed back down.

We celebrate. Until there is a big KaBOOM!

"What's that? What's happening?"

The Doctor rounds on Harriet. "That was murder."

"That was defence. It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."

I look at her. "But they were leaving."

"You said it yourself, Doctor. They'd go back to the stars and tell others about Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, Rose, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today. Mister Llewellym and the Major, they were murdered. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case we have to defend ourselves." She held her head up high.

"Britain's Golden Age." I grumbled.

She swallowed. "It comes with a price."

"We gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming. The human race." The Doctor looked angrier than I'd ever seen him.

"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf."

I swallowed. "Then we should have stopped you."

"What does that make you two, Doctor, Rose? Another alien threat?"

The Doctor sneered. "Don't challenge me Harriet Jones, because I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your Government with a single word."

She gave him a look. "You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that."

"No, you're right. Not a single word, just six."

"I don't think so."

"Six words."

"Stop it!"

"Six." He walks up to Alex and Percy, and whispers in their ear.

Harriet freaked out. We walked away.

We ended up back at mum's flat. Mum worked on Christmas dinner, and I finished wrapping presents.

Christmas dinner came and went, and we began opening up presents, watching the Sycorax ash fall down.

"Here Rose, this one's the one..." Mickey trailed off, handing me the present I got from Hedwig yesterday.

I open it, seeing two sweaters. And two packs of fudge. One flavoured like... I sniff it. Bananas. I almost choke on my laughter, handing that pack to the Doctor, who immediately dives into it. I laugh.

The sweaters are hilarious. They match, and one's obviously for the Doctor. I throw it at him, and he slips it on. His has got a image of the TARDIS, while mine's got a wolf howling on it. His is brown, mine is TARDIS blue.

"Who's this from?"

I laugh, holding back sobs. "Old friends."

"And you mentioned me?"

"Who knows. Time travel, right?"

He grins. We end up going outside, watching the ash fall.

"This is a brand new Earth. No denying the existence of aliens now. Everyone saw it. Everything's new." The Doctor said, looking up.

I swallow, asking my question. "And what about you? What are you going to do next?"

"Well, back to the TARDIS. Same old life."

"On your own?"

He frowns, looking at me. "Why, don't you want to come?"

"Well, yeah."

"Do you, though?"

"Yeah!"

"I just thought, because I changed."

I smile. "Yeah, I thought, because you changed you might not want me anymore."

"Oh, I'd love you to come."

"Okay." I grinned. Mickey looked put out.

"You're never going to stay, are you?"

I give him a watery smile. "There's just so much out there. So much to see. I've got to."

"Yeah."

"Well, I reckon you're mad, the pair of you. It's like you go looking for trouble." Mum said, looking at us like we were crazy.

The Doctor grinned. "Trouble's just the bits in-between. It's all waiting out there, Jackie, and it's brand new to me. All those planets, and creatures and horizons. I haven't seen them yet! Not with these eyes. And it's going to be..." He looks at me, "Fantastic."

He offers me his hand. "That hand of yours still gives me the creeps." But I take it anyway. "So where're we going to go first?"

He looks around. "Er, that way. No, hold on. That way." He points up.

I point with him. "That way?"

He smiles, nodding.

"Yeah, that way."


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: I figure I should be nice and let you lot know that there is going to be a point of view switch between chunks of the chapter. It has to happen for the chapter to make sense. Please let me know if you don't understand or something, I'll try and figure out another way of presenting it at a later time.

**A/N 2**: I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend. And please, if you match the criteria below, I do need someone to talk to. If you are worried about spoilers, don't be. It's all theoretical.

**NEEDED:**

Someone familiar with the early Who. Preferably Doctors 3-5. And someone with knowledge of Gallifrey. It's for another story, but I don't want to make things up, and I don't want to screw everything up. TARDIS files only has so much.

**Part 2**: Relearning Life and Death

**Chapter 12**: The Nasty Trampoline

Back in the TARDIS, I was sitting in my room.

The Doctor is working, making sure the TARDIS was okay after having the time vortex out of her. I figured it would be the best time to go into my mind and check on everything. Including the new thrum I felt.

Slipping down into my mindscape, I close my eyes, only to reopen them in the mindscape.

Immediately I see a time rotar, similar to the centre piece of the console room in the TARDIS. It, however, was missing the actual console. It was only the tubing there.

Was this normal for Time Lords?

I glance around the new main room, noticing that it had changed. Before, the floor was a dark hardwood, now the floor was glass, high above innerworkings of metal. There were wires, each going off towards the rooms. There was another floor-to-ceiling length column, this one glowing gold. My magic.

I place a hand on both columns, surprised that they were slightly warm.

I look at the walls, noticing that the Matron's room was gone, finally. But Rose's door was still there. As well as the two portraits, one of my family, and the other a howling wolf and Amelia's door. I could feel the library doors behind me, pulsing with new knowledge, unsorted knowledge.

Knowledge about Time Lords, and just what I had done to my mind and body.

I try Rose's room first, concerned that it was still there. Turning the doorknob, I frown, noticing that it was different than last I checked. Rose Tyler's mind and memories were impossible to sort, but now, they were organized, similar to my own. But they had changed. There were more constantly being created. That couldn't happen.

A thought comes to mind, which scares me. I run to my family's portrait, throwing it open.

No memories being formed. My consciousness had completely switched rooms. Was this due to the regeneration?

I sucked in air, thinking. Perhaps it would be a good time to sort my new knowledge of Time Lords.

* * *

I come out of my mindscape in time to hear the Doctor pounding on the door.

"Come on!" He said, grabbing my hand and pulling me down into the console room.

I laugh, having forgotten what he was like in this regeneration. "So where are we going?"

He just grins at me. "Further than we've ever gone before."

He steps out into the sunlight, and I follow, gaping at the sight. New Earth.

"It's the year five billion and twenty three. We're in the galaxy M87, and this? This is New Earth."

I swallow, fighting down the memories of this place. Or the underground memories. "That's just... That's just..." I try to find words, words that won't let on that I've been here. He mistakes my uncertainty for awe.

"Not bad. Not bad at all."

I smile. "This is amazing. I'll never get used to this. Never." I laugh. "Different ground beneath my feet, different sky." Apparently this new form liked voicing thoughts quite a bit. "What's that smell?"

He grins at me. "Apple grass."

"Apple grass."

"Yeah, yeah."

I swallow. "It's beautiful. Oh, I love this. Can I just say, travelling with you, I love it."

"Me too. Come on." He takes my hand, and we end up lying down on his jacket.

He's grinning at me.

"So, the year five billion, the sun expands, the Earth gets roasted."

I smile. "That was our first date." Internally I blink. Did all the potion memories get moved to Rose's room too?

He smiles, oblivious to my frown. "We had chips. So anyway, planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up, oh yeah, they get all nostalgic, big revival movement, but they find this place. Same size as the Earth, same air, same orbit. Lovely. Call goes out, the humans move in."

I laugh. "What's the city called?"

"New New York."

I laugh, wondering about coincidences. "Oh, come on."

"It is." He says defensive. "It's the city of New New York. Strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original, so that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York." I give him a look. "What?"

"You're so different."

"New New Doctor."

"Can we go visit New New York, so good they named it twice?" I think back to his comment about 'New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam'.

He frowns. "Well, I thought we might go there first."

I look to where he's pointing. A bunch of elegant skyscrapers stand apart from the city. "Why, what is it?"

"Some sort of hospital. Green moon on the side." He pointed out. "That's the universal symbol for hospitals." He reaches into his coat pocket. "I got this." He says, pulling out his psychic paper. "A message on the psychic paper."

I read the writing, internally surprised that I can, and frown. 'Ward 26 Please Come.' It looks like a familiar script, but I can't place it.

"Someone wants to see me."

I sigh. "Hmm. And I thought we were just sight-seeing. Come on, then. Let's go."

Using various forms of transportation (none of which I was a fan of, I mean, come on, after getting used to apparation, it's really the only way to travel), we finally reach the hospital, and he comments.

"I don't like hospitals."

I smirk, "Bit rich, coming from you."

"I can't help it. I don't like hospitals. They give me the creeps."

I secretly agree with him. On top of all the memories that involve hospitals (the Blitz, and the Jadoon, to name off a few), they've always seemed to remind me of the Freak Show, sterile and too clean.

He makes a comment about a shop, and I have to stop myself from hitting him. Apparently my new regeneration still had that instinct.

"I thought this far in the future, they'd have cured everything." I comment.

He frowns. "The human race moves on, but so do the viruses. It's an ongoing war."

I notice one of the nurses is a cat. I frown. Glancing around, all of the nurses are cats. That brings up a memory. _No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation._

Could this be the same cats as before?

I swallow, not wanting to know that answer. "They're cats." I say, dumbly.

"Now, don't stare. Think what you look like to them, all pink and yellow." He frowns, pointing to an area, but I barely hear his comments. Cats. Cat nuns.

I glance to see the Doctor already in a lift. "Hold on! Hold on!" But the lift closes, just as another opens.

"It's alright there's another lift." I try yelling through the doors. He tries yelling something back, but I barely make it out. I frown, but step into the lift.

Inside the elevator's playing some sort of music. '_Tick-tock goes the clock, we laughed at fate and mourned her, Tick-tock goes the clock, even for the doctor._' I frown at the music. It didn't sound like music you'd hear in the elevator. Rather it sounded like an old nursery rhyme. I guess that the elevator is voice activated, "Ward 26, thanks."

I feel gravity lifting as I go down. A speaker comes on, "_Commence stage one disinfection._" A spray nozzle comes out of nowhere, drenching me. I grab my wand, and flick my wrist a few times, once for water-impervious on my clothes, another to dry myself, and a final one to remove the smell.

The doors open up again, and I see a strange man standing, with his head cocked. He has brown tattoos all over his face, and is extremely pale. "The human child is clean."

I frown. "Er, I'm looking for Ward 26?"

He smiles. "This way, Rose Tyler." He turns leaving me to follow him. I take my wand out, following him at a distance. Anyone who knows your name before you introduce yourself is either bad news, or an old friend. Or both.

I get inside a room, where there is an old fashioned projector playing. I frown, studying the woman, wondering why she looks familiar. "Wait a minute, that's..."

"Peekaboo!" A voice calls from behind me. I round spotting the trampoline.

I frown. "Don't come anywhere near me Cassandra."

"Why? What do you think I'm going to do? Flap you to death?" She answers sarcastically.

I frown, my eyes trained on the man. "Yeah, but what about Gollum?"

"Oh, that's just Chip. He's my pet." She says. I swallow. Anger flares in me.

"I worship the mistress." He speaks looking at her with adoration.

I frown. Cassandra gets Chip to moisturize her with a spray bottle. "He's not even a proper life form. He's a force grown clone. I modelled him on my favourite pattern. But he's so faithful. Chip sees to my physical needs."

Ew. "I hope that means food." I give her a glance, watching her. "How comes you're still alive?"

"After you murdered me."

I frown. "I actually tried to save you, thank you very much. And I didn't murder you. You died. Which begs the question how are you still alive."

Chip answers. "The brain of my mistress survived. And her pretty blue eyes were salvaged from the bin."

I raise an eyebrow. "What about the skin? I saw it. You, you broke."

"That piece of skin was taken from the front of my body. This piece is the back."

I can't hold back laughter at that. "Right! So you're talking out of your a-"

"Ask not." She glares at me.

Chip frowns. "The mistress was lucky to survive. Chip secreted m'lady into the hospital."

"So they don't know you're here?"

Chip grins, turning to Cassandra. "Chip steals medicine. Helps m'lady. Soothes her, strokes her."

Ew, again. "You can stop right there Chip."

"But I'm so alone, hidden down here. The last Human in existence."

I give her a look. "I thought we covered that last time. They've called this planet New Earth."

"A vegetable patch."

I sigh. "There's millions of humans out there. Millions of them."

"Mutant stock."

I give her another look. "They evolved Cassandra. They just evolved, like they should. You stayed still. You got yourself all pickled up and preserved, and what good did it do you?"

She glances to the film, which was still playing. "Oh, I remember that night. Drinks for the Ambassador of Thrace. That was the last time anyone told me I was beautiful. After that, it all became such hard work."

I feel bad for her. "Well, you've got a knack for survival, I'll give you that."

"But I've not been idle, Rose, tucked away underneath this hospital. I've been listening. The Sisters are hiding something."

I sigh. "Isn't everyone?" And frown. "They're cloning humans to use as test subjects."

"How do you know that? Come here and tell me."

I back away. "You must be joking if you think I'm coming anywhere near you." I back up past the arch, and then energy grabs my hands, holding me down.

"Chip, activate the psychograft."

Dissecting the word, I pale. "Let me go!"

"This lady's moving on. It's goodbye trampoline, and hello blondie." There's a whoosh of energy, and then I get pulled into my mind scape.

I glance down at my hands. Rose Tyler's hands. My hands. Apparently that changed too.

Inside was the woman, Cassandra, looking like she was on the tape. And all of the doors banged open. We all could see, and then everyone began fighting for control of the body.

Cassandra won. The psychografting made me weak.

"Look at me. From class to brass. Although, oh, curves. Oh, baby, it's like living inside a bouncy castle!"

I noticed Chip talking, but barely could hear him. There were three other voices, fighting. I lock down all memories, leaving her with only a room to work with. An empty room.

Vibration. My phone's ringing. I fight for control, but don't win. The Doctor's calling, I hope he can figure this out.

* * *

When Rose finally got to the Ward, I was a little concerned. She was staring wide eyed at everything, which, fair enough, wasn't that abnormal for her. But she was asking for a man named Harry. The man who'd been visiting the Face of Boe ran over to her.

"Rose, it's me, it's Harry." He said, waving a hand in front of her face.

She gives him a look. "My name is not Rose, or Miss Tyler, or what have you. I'm a married woman, named Amelia Saxon, and I want my husband!" She yells.

I frown. The man, Harry frowns too. "Alright, Amelia, may I call you Mia. I've got a friend of Harry's that I'm sure can help." He turns to me, giving me a look. "This is the Doctor. Doctor, come meet Mia."

I walk over to the two, wondering just what happened. I hold out my hand, politely, "It's nice to meet you Mia Saxon."

She faints, and I catch her, an instinct I picked up around Rose.

"She's going to be out for a while." A voice said, Rose (or Mia, as she believed herself to be) still in my arms. Behind me was Maria Lupus. I swallow. "The Face of Boe can watch over her, we all have work to do."

Harry fake salutes her, which she waves off. "Hello, Boss, good to see you again. Wondering when you'd drop by. When are you, exactly?"

She grins, holding up a locket. She opens it revealing a holographic image of a list. A list that currently only contained two entries. They were green. Harry glanced closely at it, seeming to see more than I could.

"Ah." He said, moving away.

"What do you mean, when are you?" I ask, confused.

She gives me a small grin. "I'm travelling through time and space, it's mismatched. I never end up in the right order. I use this, it shows all the times I've met someone, as well as all the times someone's met me. Beats making everyone flip through journals."

"What does green mean?" I frown.

She blinks, not expecting the question. "Ah, green means that it hasn't happened to the other person yet. You can see our timeline?"

"Our timeline?" I ask her, looking for clarification. It was a rare time that I didn't understand something.

She visibly swallows. "Yes. It was mainly created for you and me."

"How many things do you see then?"

She laughs at the question, before replying, "Spoilers."

"My guess is I ask you that often."

"Enough."

I swallow. "What do you mean, we have things to do?"

She grins.

* * *

I was stuck in my mind, fighting Cassandra.

The second Harry got the Doctor to say my nickname, Mia Saxon ended up back in her room, locked in. It shook everything around, like when the TARDIS was travelling.

When I look up, Cassandra had gone. I look to see the only other inhabitant of the room. Myself. Or really, my previous self. Hermione Granger.

"I do believe she took off."

"Ya think?" I asked sarcastically. I get up, looking around to where Cassandra could have gotten. "We should prob'ly stay passed out until Cassandra's dealt with, so someone's gonna have ta guard the mind access."

"I'll do it. I can not go any further than this room anyway. I'm currently trapped like the Matron. Only allowed to wander from this room to my own." She looked at me.

"Alright then, Mia... That's weird, referring to you by my old name."

She laughs. "What do you think the Doctor calls all of his regenerations. One to ten?"

I smile. "Then I'll call you one."

She shakes her head, obviously displeased. "Honestly, it's not as if we are a Time Lady. We're something different. Which means, I can keep my name, Mia, and you can be called Rose?"

"Alright then," I frown. "I suppose we could do that for now."

She nods. "Then get a move on, we've got a nasty trampoline to find. Or really, rather you."

* * *

Leaving Rose behind seemed like a bad idea, but I didn't get much say in the matter.

"So how much do you know?" I ask, frowning at her.

She sighed, frustrated, looking at me. "There's something about cats, and growing people. A bit of experimentation..." She trails off looking at me.

"So you don't know a thing?" I ask, furious.

She gives me a look. "Blame yourself for that one, wise guy. You never told me, you just said, 'you've got to go save a planet Maria. The whole of all timelines is depending on this!'" She mimed facial expressions that I've certainly never used. At least, not in this body.

"How far in the future do you know me?" I ask frowning. Did I regenerate again?

She sighs again, this time a sound of sadness. "I am your past, your present and your future Doctor."

"What does that mean?"

She just gives me a secretive grin and turns towards the terminal. She pulls out her own sonic screwdriver, this one tipped red, and strange looking that my own.

"How'd you get that?"

She grins. "You and Mum fought about whether or not I should have one. Suffice to say, she won."

Because that was completely an answer. She starts searching through the databases. "Nothing odd." She comments, turning to face me again.

I scan the list of areas, frowning. "No sign of a shop. They should have a shop." She rolls her eyes at me, before she seems to drift off. She comes back after a moment.

"When I was downstairs, those Nurse Cat Nuns were talking about Intensive Care. Where is it?"

She fiddles with her screwdriver for a few more seconds before a wall slides down to reveal a corridor.

"Intensive Care. Certainly looks intensive." I comment, looking down the eerily green corridors. We enter, and she's staring at the area. We end up in a corridor of pods. I chose one at random and open it.

"What's wrong with him?"

I frown, immediately sensing it. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I close the door, and move to the next one, finding the same thing.

I see Maria swallow out of the corner of my eye. "What disease is that?"

"All of them." I growl out. "Every single disease in the galaxy. They've been infected with everything."

* * *

I narrowed down Cassandra to somewhere in the library.

"Cassandra." I called out, hoping to hear something from her.

"Alright blondie," A voice called from behind me. "Who are you?"

I snort, turning around. She's leaning against one of the shelves, attempting to look as if she owns the place. "What'd you mean?"

"You are a hypocrite." She growled out, walking up to me.

"What'd you mean by that?"

She gives me a look. "You've changed your face. Completely. And you condemn me for having a few operations."

"A few operations? A few means no more than five. Not seven hundred and eight."

"Technicalities."

She turns, and runs. I run to follow her, but I lose her in the bestiary section. A scream comes from the main room, and I run back.

In the room, Mia's down, collapsed on the floor, and Cassandra's getting close to the access point, making the body come out of the passed out state it was in.

Suddenly, Cassandra stopped, turned to me, and screamed. There was a burst of red light, and then, as soon as it appeared, it disappeared.

Cassandra was gone. Out of my mind. What happened?

* * *

"What did you do to her?" I yelled, staring at the redhaired woman. She had just waved her sonic screwdriver, hitting Rose with a bright red light. Rose had moaned in her unconscious state, meaning she was hurt.

Maria looked at me, frowning. "I'd forgotten what you were like. I just took the extra soul out of her head. They were waring for control over the body."

"Who's soul? And how do you know?" I asked, confused, concerned and protective.

She gives me a look. "Can we focus on the crazy cats who have decided to unleash their poorly named 'Flesh' on this unsuspecting hospital?"

I grabbed her, and gave her the look that Rose had dubbed 'The Oncoming Storm' look, back when I had bigger ears. "Tell me now."

"Alright," She sighed, obviously not fearful of my look, "The crazy, bitchy trampoline decided to become human once more, and tried to use your companion as a host."

I reeled back at the information. "How did she even survive?"

"Her skin may have popped, but the brain didn't." She sighed, giving me a desperate look, "Now can we go back to trying to save the hospital?"

I nod, thoughts rapidly firing through my head, and a plan was formed. "Get me intravenous solutions for every single disease."

She took off, taking the solutions, until we had a variety of colourful bags in front of us. I went to the lift, sonicing it open and finding rope. This had better work. Tying the bags on me, I jumped to the cables of the lift.

"What are you doing!?" Maria called, staring at me.

I laugh. "Going down." She looks at me, before sighing. "Come on!"

"What does this say about my life, if this is one of the more sane things I've done in all my long years?" She muttered before jumping.

I swallow, a question coming to mind. "How old are you?"

"A lady never tells." She grins, "But if asked, I gave up counting somewhere in my sixth century."

I blink at that thought, before pulling the latch and letting us free-fall. "So, if this is sane, what's crazy in your mind?" I ask looking at her, only to see her eyes shut tight, and knuckles white around my harness.

She sighs, thinking a moment. She had the time, the fall was going fairly slowly. "Well, I've crashed a wedding, only to separate the bride and groom, getting the bride to marry a clone of the groom?" She offered. "Actually, that was last week."

I give her a look, unsure whether or not to believe that. The grounds coming up underneath us, so I can't ask for more details. I get down, start fiddling with the disinfectant. I begin pouring all of the solutions into the mix. "When I say so, take hold of that lever."

"Disinfectant, mixed with all the cures, should cure everything else. So simple." I give her a grin, before pouring the last of the solution. I open the hatch of the lift and jump down.

The plan goes off without a hitch. The second the disinfectant is done, Maria jumps down, giving me a hug.

"A wedding? Did the end product top this?" I ask, grinning, watching the cure be passed on.

She laughs. "My goddaughter didn't end up marrying the wrong man. She almost married mine."

I blink. "Are you married?"

She smiles and laughs. "Are you asking?"

"Yes."

"Then yes."

I nod, before replaying the conversation in my head. "Wait, were you saying yes to being married, or did you think that I was asking you to..." I trail off, uncertain.

She laughs. "Yes."

"No really, what did you mean?"

"Yes." She glances at her locket, as if that told her everything. For all I know it might. Suddenly, a voice comes from inside her purse.

"_Ranger, we've got a problem._"

She closes her eyes. "I've got to run. And you've got to go make sure Rose is okay." I nod, still trying to figure out the small woman in front of me.

She turns and walks away, I turn around. I glance back, for a last look at her, only to see the remnants of gold dust where she once was.

Rose.

* * *

I was a little disoriented when I woke up, lying down beside Jack.

"What happened?" I ask, sitting up.

Harry appeared in my vision. I blinked, looking at him. "What do you remember?"

"The trampoline decided to try and get into my head. I managed to fight her off. And then there was a red light in my head, and she just vanished." I said, rubbing my head.

Harry sighed. "Well, I have no idea how to explain this. Um, well, actually, the boss would kill me if I did explain it."

"She's gone actually." The Doctor called from behind us. "Left, someone called her, said they had a problem."

I saw Harry pale visibly. "I can guess what happened. HQ is close to exploding, mainly due to a paradox."

"HQ? As in..." I trail off, unsure of what to say.

Harry swallows. "Well, technically yes, but no."

"The second you want to start making sense let me know." I mutter.

He smiles a sad smile. "I can't. One day, you will understand, all of it. But until then, I can't tell you anything, no matter how much I actually want to."

"_Doctor._"

The Doctor glances at the Face of Boe. "You were supposed to be dying."

"_There are better things to do today. Dying can wait._"

I take Harry's hand, squeezing tight. "Dying will wait."

"_I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew._"

The Doctor smiles. "There are legends, you know, saying that you and your friend are millions of years old."

"_There are? That would be impossible._" I suppress a snort. They both were over a few million years old.

"Wouldn't it just. I got the impression there was something you wanted to tell me."

"_A great secret._" I swallow, knowing the secret, and what would happen to the Doctor.

The Doctor grins. "So the legend says."

"_It can wait._"

The Doctor's face falls. "Oh, does it have to?"

The Face of Boe laughs, "_We shall meet again, Doctor, for the third time, for the last time, and the truth shall be told. Until that day._" Harry leans on Boe, and they get beamed away.

"That's enigmatic. That, that is, that is textbook enigmatic." He turns to me, "How are you feeling?"

I shake my head, clearing the cobwebs. "I'm doing good."

"Do you want me to make sure everything's okay?" He asked, concerned.

I swallow. "No, everything's fine."

I sigh internally. He shouldn't get anywhere near my head.


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: I figure I should be nice and let you lot know that there is going to be a point of view switch between chunks of the chapter. It has to happen for the chapter to make sense. Please let me know if you don't understand or something, I'll try and figure out another way of presenting it at a later time.

**A/N 2**: I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend. And please, if you match the criteria below, I do need someone to talk to. If you are worried about spoilers, don't be. It's all theoretical.

**NEEDED:**

Someone familiar with the early Who. Preferably Doctors 3-5. And someone with knowledge of Gallifrey. It's for another story, but I don't want to make things up, and I don't want to screw everything up. TARDIS files only has so much.

**A/N 3**: So, the werewolf will not be joining this book. It might join the next one. And the next episode of season 2 The Girl in the Fireplace, is going to happen, just not in the next chapter. Therefore, my next chapter is the Rise of the Cybermen.

**Part 2**: Relearning Life and Death

**Chapter 13**: School Reunion

After dealing with the alien werewolf who told me I would die soon (I'm sorry, as if...), Mickey called us, talking about some school that was being weird and alien.

This left the Doctor and I arguing over how we were going to go undercover.

"At least get me another job outside of 'lunch lady'. We've got psychic paper. I can teach PE or something."

"Rose." The Doctor said, a frown on his face. "It's not the best idea."

I glare at him. "Doctor, the only reason why I haven't even completed my A-Levels is because of a boy. Otherwise I would have actually passed with flying colours. I know my stuff."

"But you're young." I give him a look.

"What does age have to do with anything?"

* * *

In the end, I managed to win the argument, and now I was the new English teacher.

The second day, I collapsed in the chair next to him. "Remind me why I wanted to be a teacher?"

"Because it was this or dinner lady." He replied.

I sighed. "It's been two days. Two whole days."

"Blame your boyfriend. He's the one who put us onto this. And he was right. Boy in class this morning, got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth." He frowned.

I blink at him. "Well, I've only found out that I can't stand most of the food here, and most of the students don't know Dickens from Shakespeare."

"Hopefully you know, given as you met one of them."

I laugh, suppressing the automatic urge to correct him. "I'm gonna see if there is anything else in the back. Something other than these amazing chips."

He gives me a smile. I walk to the back of the cafeteria, opening the kitchen doors. "'Scuse me, have you got anything other than chips?"

The dinner ladies are moving a barrel of oil with more protection on than if they were moving radioactive sludge. And then one topples over onto one of them. She starts screaming. They pull her into an office, and I take out my phone, intent on calling an ambulance.

"What're you doing?" One of the ladies pokes her head out, looking at me.

I give her a look. "Calling an ambulance."

"No need. She's quite alright." In the back room, there's a Whumph!, a sudden burst of light, like fire, and a scream. "It's fine, she does that." She enters the office again, and smoke rises.

I walk out of the room, intent on telling the Doctor, but the bell rang. I ran to the staff room. I practically grinned when I saw he also had a free period at this time. He was interviewing another teacher. I walk over to him, "Can I talk to you for a few minutes John?"

He was about to answer when the headmaster came in. "Excuse me, colleagues. A moment of your time." I turn to look at him, seeing a familiar face beside him. I swallowed. Aunt Sarah Jane. "May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith. Miss Smith is a journalist who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times. I thought it might be useful for her to get a view from the trenches, so to speak. Don't spare my blushes." He waves everyone off, and leaves. Sarah Jane walks up to the Doctor and I. I glance at him, to see his jaw almost unhinged.

"Hello." She starts.

I smile and greet her. I elbow the Doctor, who seems to jump back to life. "Oh, I should think so."

"And you are?"

"Hm? Er, Smith. John Smith."

I swallow, suddenly thinking that the name I'd chosen instead of Rose Tyler was a bad idea. "Rose Granger."

She seems to frown. "John Smith and Rose Granger. What strange coincidences. I used to have a friend who sometimes when by that name. And my goddaughter's name was Hermione Granger."

"Imagine that."

"John Smith is a very common name." The Doctor said, grinning.

She smiles. "He was a very uncommon man. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you. Yes, very nice. More than nice. Brilliant."

She blinks at his response. "Have you two worked here long?"

I smile. "It's actually only our second day." I smile.

"Oh, you're new then. So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum? So many children getting ill. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

The Doctor smiles. "You don't sound like you're doing a profile."

"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here."

I smile. "No, good for you." She moves away.

The Doctor still seems to be in a bit of a trance, and I want to avoid my godmother as much as possible.

* * *

We go back into the school after dark. I sigh, "It's weird seeing school at night. It just feels wrong." I comment. And the school felt twice as wrong. I went to this school, before I went to Hogwarts. It was weird being back at all.

"All right team." He frowns. "Oh, I hate people who say team. Er, gang. Er, comrades." I elbow him, which seems to get him back on track. "Anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen. Get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers. Go and check out the Maths department. I'm going to look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes." He walks off towards the headmaster's office, leaving Mickey and I alone.

"You going to be all right?"

He laughs. "Me? Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an expert at this. Are you going to be okay, you look a little freaked."

"Of all the schools in London, it had to be the one I spent the first six years at."

Mickey blinks. "Really?"

I laugh. "Check some of the maths trophies. Hermione Granger should be there."

"Will do." He said, saluting. He walks away, only to come back. "Where's the Maths department?"

I laugh, "Down there, turn left, through the fire doors, on the right."

He nods, and thanks me before walking off. I got to the kitchens, collecting a sample of the oil.

There's a scream coming from the Maths department. I turn, running and seeing the Doctor talking with Aunt Sarah Jane. "Did you hear that? And why's she here?"

"Old friend." He answered, as if that explained everything.

"Hi, nice to see you again." She looks at the Doctor. "You can tell you're getting older. Your assistants are getting younger."

I glare at her. "I'm not his assistant."

"No?"

I'm about to respond when the Doctor drags us towards Mickey. "Sorry! Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I started looking through some of these cupboard and all these fell on me."

"Rats." I grunted out, tempted to stomp on them. I still hated rats after Pettigrew.

"And you decided to scream?" The Doctor said, looking at Mickey incredulously.

"It took me by surprise!"

"Like a little girl?"

"It was dark! I was covered in rats!"

"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt."

I let them argue, noticing that Aunt Sarah Jane was looking at one of the trophies. One of my old trophies. "Are you alright?"

She turns to me, blinking. "Oh, sorry, I got caught up in thoughts. My goddaughter used to go here. I haven't heard from the family in thirteen years. I feel like I've missed half her life."

"I'm sorry." I said, trying to blink back tears. I'd completely forgotten about her in everything that had happened in my life.

She looks at me strangely, but the Doctor interrupts. "Anyway, moving on. Everything started when Mister Finch arrived. We should go and check his office."

We're walking down a corridor. "So, you used to travel with the Doctor, funny, he's never mentioned you." I gave the Doctor a look.

"Oh, I must've done. Sarah Jane. Mention her all the time."

I give him a look. "No you haven't."

"What, not even once? He didn't mention me once?"

Mickey mutters something, and I take a pen out of my purse and bean him in the head with it.

The Doctor opens the door to the headmaster's office, and we all glance in. He whispers, "Rose, you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school? Well, they do."

Inside the room, there were huge big bat people. I blink, wondering if I was seeing things.

"No way!" Mickey hissed. He runs, and the Doctor locks the door. We follow him. "I am not going back in there. No way."

I frown, "Those were the teachers?"

"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on." The Doctor said.

Mickey was still freaking out. "Come on? You're got to be kidding!"

"I need the TARDIS. I've got to analyze that oil from the kitchen."

"I might be able to help you there. I've got something to show you." Sarah Jane said, smiling. She drags us all out to her car.

"K9! Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow me to introduce K9. Well, K9 Mark Three to be precise." I swallow, looking at the old metal dog. I may have accidentally zapped him once upon a time. I hope he didn't hold grudges.

"Why does he look so disco?" Mickey asked.

"Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge. What's happened to him?" The Doctor said, frowning.

She smiles, "My goddaughter happened. Not sure what, just one day, she got angry, and nothing."

"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?"

"Well, it's not like getting parts for a Mini Metro. Beside, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone."

The Doctor tries to pet him, "Oh, what's the nasty lady's goddaughter done to you, eh?"

I tried not to be offended.

* * *

Mickey was trying not to brag, but he was doing it anyway. "All this time you've been giving it, he's different, when the truth is, he's just like any other bloke."

I glare at him, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe not. But if I were you, I'd go easy on the chips."

I glare at him again. I lower my voice, hoping the Doctor won't hear. "Listen you, I don't care what you think. But I don't have to watch my weight. I've changed my DNA, I don't even really need to eat, or sleep."

"It's changed that much?"

I nod. "I have no idea anymore, and it's not like I can ask our resident alien expert."

"What about the version that appeared on Christmas, can't you ask him?"

I give him a look, "When? In case you haven't noticed, he's got a tendency of appearing at random."

I heard Sarah Jane talking about what she saw, and I blinked, holding back tears. "What's the story with you and her, anyway?"

"She's my godmother."

"Rose, give us the oil." The Doctor called. I take the small vial out of my pocket, handing it to him.

"Miss Hermione." K9 said, looking at me.

"Sorry, K9, haven't seen her in years." Sarah Jane replied sadly.

He smears the oil on K9's probe. "Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go."

"Oil! Ex ex ex extract. Ana ana analysing."

Mickey laughs. "Listen to him, man. That's a voice."

I elbow him. Sarah Jane glares, "Careful. That's my dog."

"Confirmation of analysis. Substance is Krillitane Oil."

The Doctor's eyebrows go up, "They're Krillitanes."

"Is that bad?"

"Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad."

I sigh, knowing what's coming next. "What are Krillitanes?"

"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by. You've got bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever. The Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognize them. The last time I saw the Krillitanes, they looked just like us, except they had really long necks."

I swallow. "What are they doing here?"

"It's the children. They're doing something to the children."

* * *

Sarah Jane and Mickey are putting K9 in the trunk, when I catch up with the Doctor. I'm concerned. "How many of us have there been travelling with you?"

"Does it matter?"

I frown. "You don't talk about them. It does matter. They're a part of your past. You know almost everything about me. And suddenly there's something brand new that you've never even mentioned." I swallow. "Do you just leave them behind? Is that what you're going to do to me?"

"No, not to you."

I give him a look. "But Sarah Jane? You were that close to her once, and now you never even mention her. Why not?"

He looks at me. "I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you..." He stops.

"What, Doctor?"

He's got tears forming in his eyes. "You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords." I go to hug him, but he looks up as a giant bat swoops down. We all duck and it flies off.

"It just flew off. What did it do that for?"

* * *

The next day, the Doctor's giving orders, telling Sarah Jane and I to go to the Maths room. We enter and she's at the computers, getting frusterated with the screwdriver. "It's not working."

"Give it to me." She hands it over, and I try, getting it working a bit.

"Used to work first time in my day."

I sigh, "Well, things were a lot simpler back then."

"Rose, can I give you a bit of advice?"

"I have a feeling you're about to."

She sighs. "When you don't talk to someone for more than a decade, and then suddenly reappear back in their life, don't pretend to be someone else."

I stopped, looking out at her. "How'd you know?"

"I know you. What happened?" I blinked back tears, going to hug her.

I gave a quick overview of the war, the fact that I sent my parents off, only to have them die in a car crash. And then a quick overview of everything else.

"Oh you poor dear."

I laugh. "With you, did he do that thing where he'd explain something at like, ninety miles per hour, and you'd go, what? and he'd look at you like you'd just dribbled on your shirt?"

"All the time. Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?"

"Yeah! Yeah, he does. I'm like, do you two want to be alone?"

We're laughing our asses off, and the Doctor comes in, making us laugh harder.

"What? Stop it!"

We finally settle down, and the Doctor goes to the screens. "I can't shift it."

"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!"

"Anything except a deadlock seal. There's got to be something inside her. What are they teaching those kids?"

The screens come to life, and the Doctor recognizes it. "No. No, that can't be. The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It's the God Maker. The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control."

"So they're using the kids like a giant computer?"

"Yes. And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil. That oil from the kitchens, it works as a, as a conducting agent. Makes the kids cleaver."

"But that oil's on the chips. I've been eating them."

He frowns. "What's fifty nine times thirty five?"

"Why?" I ask, blinking. "Did it work on you?"

"No, doesn't work on Time Lords."

"But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Sarah Jane asks.

I swallow, and he answers. "No, it's got to be children. The God maker needs imagination to crack it. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code, they're using their souls."

Finch enters the room. "Let the lesson begin. Think of it, Doctor. With the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it."

"Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mister Finch? Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are."

"You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order? Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good."

"What, by someone like you?"

Finch grins, "No, someone like you. The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a God at my side. Imagine what you could do. Think of the civilizations you could save. Perganon. Assinta. Your own people, Doctor, standing tall. The Time Lords reborn."

I glare at Finch. "Doctor, don't listen to him."

"And you could be with him throughout eternity. Young, fresh, never wither, never age, never die." He turns back to the Doctor. "Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us."

"I could save everyone." He said, looking hopeful.

"Yes."

"I could stop the war." He said, looking at Finch.

I glare at them both. "No. The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, a life or a relationship, everything has it's time. And everything ends."

The Doctor looks at me, turns to Finch, picks up a chair, and throws it at the the screen, smashing it. "Out!"

We run out of the room, and run into Mickey, K9 and a student. Mickey's eyes are wide. "What is going on?"

We run into the cafeteria, and are followed by the bats. The student frowns. "Are they my teachers?"

"Yeah, sorry."

Finch is angry. "We need the Doctor alive. As for the others? You can feast." Sarah Jane and I jump behind the same table.

"I've got a plan. I need you to distract the Doctor though." She nods, and runs over to him. I get up, taking my wand out, and whisper, "Imobulus." The bats freeze in mid air, which K9 takes as a cue to start shooting them.

"Suggest you engage in running mode, mistress."

The Doctor rises from where he was and yells, "Come on!"

Everyone runs out of the room, just as the spell ends. I hear Finch yell, "Forget the shooty dog thing."

He starts making a plan, telling Mickey to get everyone out. "Now then, bats, bats, bats. How do we fight bats?"

The kid goes and pulls the alarm. We run through the Krillitanes holding their ears.

We get down to the kitchen and the Doctor goes to the barrels. "They've been deadlock sealed. Finch must've done that. I can't open them."

"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser, but my batteries are failing."

The Doctor nods. "Right. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me."

I practically have to drag Sarah Jane out of the door.

The Doctor comes out a moment later. "Where's K9?" Sarah Jane asks, about to cry.

"We need to run."

"Where is he? What have you done!" We both drag her away from the school. As it blows up, she cries, and I comfort her.

"I'm sorry." I say.

She tries to smile. "It's alright. He was just a daft metal dog. It's fine, really." She bursts into tears, and I hold her.

* * *

Sarah Jane and the Doctor walk back into the TARDIS.

"You've redecorated."

He smiles, "Do you like it?"

"Oh, I, I do. Yeah. I prefer it as it was, but er, yeah. It'll do."

I grin at her, going to hug her. "I love it."

"Hey you, what's forty seven times three hundred and sixty nine?"

I laugh. "No idea. It's gone now. The oil's faded."

"But you're still clever. More than a match for him." I smile at her.

"You and me both." I give the Doctor a look.

He fidgets. "Er, we're about to head off, but you could come with us."

She gives it a moment of thought. "No, I can't do this anymore. Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead. Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own."

Mickey frowns, before speaking. "Can I come?" We all give him a look, "No, not with you. I mean, with you." He looks at the Doctor. "Because I'm not the tin dog, and I want to see what's out there."

Sarah Jane smiles. "Go on, Doctor. Sarah Jane Smith, a Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board."

"Okay then, I could do with a laugh."

Mickey looks at me, "Rose, is that okay?"

I swallow. "No, that's great. Why not?"

"Well, I better go." She goes to hug me again.

"What do I do? Do I stay with him?"

"Yes. Somethings are worth getting your heart broken over. Find me, if you need to, one day. Find me."

She exits, and the Doctor follows her. They talk for a few minutes, and then we're travelling again.


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: I figure I should be nice and let you lot know that there is going to be a point of view switch between chunks of the chapter. It has to happen for the chapter to make sense. Please let me know if you don't understand or something, I'll try and figure out another way of presenting it at a later time.

**A/N 2**: I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend. And please, if you match the criteria below, I do need someone to talk to. If you are worried about spoilers, don't be. It's all theoretical.

**NEEDED:**

Someone familiar with the early Who. Preferably Doctors 3-5. And someone with knowledge of Gallifrey. It's for another story, but I don't want to make things up, and I don't want to screw everything up. TARDIS files only has so much.

**A/N 3**: So, maybe no one noticed the disclaimer, but I say "EWE, kind of...". If anyone was curious, this chapter should explain that part. :)

**Part 2**: Relearning Life and Death

**Chapter 14**: _Cypercontrol, paging Cybercontrol... Anyone home?_

After dealing with the 51st century spaceship with it's windup dolls, the Doctor decided to just hang in the time vortex for a little bit. We were reminiscing.

"And that weird munchkin lady with the big eyes? Do you remember? The way she looked at you! And then she opens her mouth and fire comes out!"

I laughed. "I thought I was going to get frazzled!"

"Yeah, One minute she's standing there, and the next minute roar!"

Mickey blinks, grinning, "Yeah. Where was that then? What happened?"

The Doctor blinks. "Oh, it was on this er, this er, planet thing. Asteroid. It's a long story. You had to be there." He looks at Mickey, who's holding down a button. "Er, what're you doing that for?"

"Because you told me to."

The Doctor frowns, "When was that?"

"About half an hour ago."

"Er, you can let go now."

Mickey does, before giving the Doctor a look, "How long's it been since I could've stopped?"

"Ten minutes? Twenty?" He pauses, looking sheepish, "Twenty nine?"

"You just forgot me!"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, no, no. I was just, I was, I was calibrating. I was just. No, I know exactly what I'm doing."

I growl, immediately grabbing onto something after he said that. It was a good idea too, because the second I wrapped my hand around the rail, the time rotor blows up. "What's happened now?"

"The time vortex is gone. That's impossible. It's just gone. Brace yourself! We're going to crash!"

The TARDIS stops and everyone but me gets thrown around the room. Lights are off, and gas masks drop from the ceiling.

"Everyone alright?" The Doctor calls from his position on the floor. "Rose? Mickey?"

Mickey gets up "I'm fine. I'm okay. Sorry. Yeah."

The Doctor ignores him in favour of terrifying us with his next sentence. "She's dead. The TARDIS is dead."

I swallow. "You can fix it?"

"There's nothing to fix. She's perished. The last TARDIS in the universe. Extinct."

I blink. "We can get help, yeah?"

"Where from?"

I give him a look. "Well, we've landed. We've got to be somewhere."

"We fell out of the vortex, through the void, into nothingness. We're in some sort of no place. The silent realm. The lost dimension."

Mickey pokes his head out of the door. "Otherwise known as London." He exits, laughing. "London, England, Earth. Hold on." He spots a paper, and the Doctor and I walk out into the sunlight. "First of February this year. Not exactly far flung, is it?"

"So this is London." The Doctor said.

"Yep."

"Your city."

"That's the one."

"Just as we left it."

"Bang on."

"And that includes the Zeppelins?"

Mickey flicks his head upward, staring at the sky, which was full of zeppelins. "What the hell!?"

I swallow, knowing what this meant. "That's beautiful."

"Okay, so it's London with a big international Zeppelin festival."

The Doctor frowns, "This is not your world."

"But if the date's the same, it's parallel, right? Am I right? Like a parallel Earth where they've got Zeppelins. Am I right? I'm right, aren't I?" Mickey looks enthusiastic.

"Must be."

I swallow, spotting a poster. "So, a parallel world where..."

Mickey starts talking. But I tune him out.

"And he's still alive."

There's a poster of Rose Tyler's father, an advert for Vitex Lite, cherry flavour.

"A parallel world where my dad's still alive."

The Doctor turns me away from it. "Don't look at it Rose. Don't even think about it. This is not your world."

"He's a success. He was always planning these daft little schemes. Health food, drinks and stuff. Everyone said they were useless. But he did it."

The Doctor frowned. "Rose, if you've ever trusted me, the listen to me know. Stop looking at it. Your father's dead. He died when you were six months old. That is not your Pete. That is a Pete. For all we know, he's got his own Jackie, his own Rose. His own daughter who is someone else, but not you. You can't see him. Not ever."

And I know he was trying to help me, but all it did was make me realize that maybe I could get this Rose Tyler to go instead. A real Rose Tyler, not a fake one. I ran off.

I end up sitting on a bench. My phone bleeps, and I get a message. 'Welcome! Free Trial Period! From the Cybus Network.'

I get the new station, watching a guy called Lumic talk about his health.

I check the internet, looking for Rose Tyler.

"There you are!" The Doctor's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "You alright? No applause. I fixed it. Twenty four hours, then we're flying back to reality." He looks at me, frowning. "What is it?"

I gesture to my phone. "My phone connected. There's this Cybus Network. It finds your phone. It gave me Internet access."

"Rose, whatever it says, this is the wrong world."

I swallow. "I don't exist."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no Rose Tyler. I was never born. There's Pete, my dad, and Jackie. He still married mum but they never had kids."

"Give me that phone."

"They're rich. They've got a house and cars, and everything they want. But they haven't got me. I've got to see him."

"You can't" I get up, heading to the other side.

"I just want to see him."

"I can't let you."

"You just said twenty four hours!"

"You can't become their daughter, that's not the way it works. Mickey tell her."

Mickey looks between us. "Twenty four hours yeah?" Mickey takes off in the opposite direction.

"Where're you going!?"

"Well, I can do what I want."

I give the Doctor a look, "I've got the address and everything."

The Doctor's head whips back and forth. "Stay where you are, both of you. Rose, come back here! Mickey, come back here now!"

"I just want to see him."

Mickey smiles, "Yeah, I've got things to see and all."

"Like what?" The Doctor asks.

"Well you don't know anything about me, do you? It's always about Rose. I'm just a spare part."

I swallow, turning away from them. "I'm sorry, I've got to go."

I hear the Doctor pause, and then race after me. The Doctor asks about Mickey, and I tell him about Mickey's story. The Doctor eventually gives up from letting me be there, and we go to the party.

"They've got visitors."

I smile. "February the first. Mum's birthday. Even in a parallel universe, she still loves a party."

"Well, given Pete Tyler's guest list, I wouldn't mind a look. And there's one guaranteed way of getting inside." He said, waving the small wallet in front of me.

"Psychic paper."

He grins. "Who do you want to be?"

* * *

We were inside the party, serving. I glare at him. "We could have been anyone."

"Got us in, didn't it?"

"You're in charge of the psychic paper. We could've been guests. Celebrities. Sir Doctor, Dame Rose. We end up serving. Did enough of this back home." I muttered the last part.

"If you want to know what's going on, work in the kitchens. According to Lucy, that man there-"

"Who's Lucy?"

"She's carrying the salmon pinwheels."

"Oh, that's Lucy, is it?"

"Yeah. Lucy says that is the President of Great Britain."

"What, there's a President, not a Prime Minister?"

"Seems so."

"Or maybe Lucy's just a bit thick."

Pete's standing on the staircase, catching everyone's attention. He announces Jackie, who looks just the same as she does in the other world. I swallow.

She ends up picking up a small dog, who she's named Rose. The Doctor bursts into laughter, and I give him a look. "Sorry."

The night passed rather quickly, until the Doctor ran to me. "It's happening again."

"What do you mean?" I asked, concerned.

"I've seen them before."

I glance out the window, seeing large metal men coming towards us. "What are they?"

"Cybermen." They smash through the windows.

I swallow, backing up. "What are they, robots?"

"Worse than that."

The president speaks, "Who were these people?"

I turn to the Doctor, eyes wide. "They're people?"

"They were, until they had all their humanity taken away. That's a living brain jammed inside a cybernetic body, with a heart of steel. All emotions removed."

"Why no emotions?"

The Doctor swallowed. "Because it hurts."

The cybermen start speaking, "_We have been upgraded._"

"Into what?" The Doctor asks.

"_The next level of man kind. We are Human point two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us._"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what's been done to you, but listen to me. This experiment ends tonight." The President says.

"_Upgrading is compulsory._"

"And if I refuse?" The President asks.

"Don't." The Doctor whispered.

The President ignored him. "What if I refuse?"

"I'm telling you, don't."

"What happens if I refuse?"

"_They you are not compatible._"

"What happens then?"

"_You will be deleted._"

The cyberman puts his hand on the president's shoulder and electrocutes him. The Doctor grabs my hand, and runs outside.

"There's nothing we can do!"

"There are people in there."

"Come on!"

Pete jumps out of the window, and runs towards us.

"Pete, is there a way out?"

"The side gates. Who are you? How do you know so much?"

The Doctor frowns. "You wouldn't believe it in a million years."

There is four distinct popping sounds, and I grab both Pete and the Doctor, dropping us all to the ground.

"BOMBARDIA!" Four voices yelled out. Lights travelled above us, crashing into the cybermen, and destroying them.

I get up, only to come face to face with Ron Weasley. "Come on, we've got to go!" He takes my hand, and drags me up. Harry's doing the same to Pete, and Ginny's hoisting the Doctor up.

"Alright, we've got a van with other's behind us." A voice said. My mouth dropped. It was me. Well, Hermione Granger.

We get dragged over to the van, and they slip us inside. "Drive." Someone said, and the van took off.

"Rose?" A voice called, someone turned in the front seat, and I saw Mickey.

I give him a hug as best as I can. "Rose." Hermione said. I turn to her.

"How?"

Hermione grins. "Time Travel." She answers me. "Alright everyone, introduce yourselves to Rose and her friend." She turns back to me, "Where's the Doctor?"

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor said, frowning. Hermione gives him the once over.

She nods. "Well, that certainly makes somethings clearer." Harry, Ginny and Ron introduce themselves. And then Hermione does. "And I'm Hermione Jane Granger."

"But wait," Ron said frowning, "He doesn't look like-" He gets cut off by an elbow to the ribs.

Hermione, Harry and Ginny glare at him. They somehow manage to hiss "Shut up Ron." in tandem.

"Alright, so, who the hell are all of you, and why are you all in my van?" One of the Mickey's said.

Hermione gets up in the cramped space. "Ricky Smith, I swear to you, these people are here to help."

He looks at her a moment, then nods.

"What've we got for supplies?" Ron asks, looking at the front.

The blonde growls out. "We've got weapons. Might not work on those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him." He pointed at Pete Tyler.

"Leave him alone. What's he done wrong?"

The blonde glares. "Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government and left Lumic in charge."

Pete glares at him. "If I was part of all that, do you think I'd leave my wife inside?"

Ricky in the front seat pipes up, "Maybe your plan went wrong. Still gives us the right to execute you, though."

"Stand down." Hermione growled out.

"Talk about executions, you'll, make me your enemy. And takes some really good advice. You don't want to do that." The Doctor all but hissed out.

Ricky rolled his eyes. "All the same, we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since twenty point five."

Harry laughs. "Sounds Sirius." I swallow my giggles. Hermione glares at him.

She turns back to Pete, "Is this true?"

"Tell them, Mrs. M." Ricky said, turning to the driver.

She starts speaking, "We've got a government mole who feeds us information. Lumic's private files, his South American operations, the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week.

"Broadcasts from Gemini?" Pete asked, his head cocked.

Ricky glares, "And how do you know that?"

"I'm Gemini. That's me." He said, rolling his eyes.

Ricky snorts, "Yeah, you would say that."

Pete turns to Ricky, adopting a serious face. "Encrypted wavelength six five seven using binary nine." At Ricky's shocked face, he continued. "That's the only reason I was working for Lumic. To get information. I thought I was broadcasting to the Security Services. What do I get? Scooby Doo and his gang. They've even got the van."

Mickey frowns, "No, no, no. But the Preachers know what they're doing. Ricky said he's London's Most Wanted."

"Yeah, that's not exactly-"

"Not exactly what?"

Ricky sighs. "I'm London's Most Wanted for parking tickets."

Hermione sighs, and Ron laughs. "Great. Assets, zero."

"They were deliberate. I was fighting the system. Park anywhere, that's me."

The Doctor gets up, crouching in the back. "Good policy. I do much the same. I'm the Doctor, by the way, again, if anyone's interested."

I swallow, giving Hermione a look. "I'm Rose. Hello."

Pete sighs. "They took my wife."

"She might still be alive." Ginny whispers, holding his hand.

"That's even worse. Because that's what Lumic does. He takes the living and he turns them into those machines."

"Cybermen." The Doctor said.

Hermione gives him a look, "They're called Cybermen. Take the ear-pods off. Lumic could be listening."

"How did you know?"

The four magical folk laugh. "A dear friend of ours would say that it's 'wibbly wobbly timey whimy' and hard to understand."

"Try me."

"She," Harry said, pointing at me, "in her future, goes into our past to tell us to be here."

The Doctor swallows. "But that's impossible. We shouldn't even be here in the first place."

"Like we said, wibbly wobbly timey whimy."

* * *

"What the hell?" Blondie, or Jake said, watching people walk around like zombies.

I swallow. "What's going on?"

"It's the ear-pods. Lumic's taken control." Ginny sighed, looking with us.

"Where are they going?" I ask.

Ron glanced around. "Probably base of operations."

"Battersea." Pete whispered. "That's where he was building his prototypes."

Harry frowned, "Never got the why. Why's he doing all this?"

"He's dying. This all started out as a way of prolonging life, of keeping the brain alive at any cost." The four magical's shared dark looks.

"It always starts with the quest for immortality, doesn't it?"

I frown, thinking for a moment. "I've seen Cybermen before, haven't I? The head. Those handle shapes in Van Statten's museum."

A dark look crossed the Doctor's face at that thought. "There are Cybermen in our universe. They got started on an ordinary world just like this, then swarmed across the galaxy. This lot are a parallel version, and they're starting from scratch, right here on Earth."

"Bloody hell." Ron said, summizing what the Doctor had just said to a tee.

Ricky frowned. "We need to get out of the city."

The four magicians looked at each other. Nodding, Ron grabbed the two Mickeys, Ginny grabbed Pete and Mrs. Moore, and Harry grabbed the Doctor and Jake. In another instant, they were gone. I round on Hermione, glaring at her.

"What the hell? How is this even possible?" I give her my best glare.

She sighs. "Simple, alternate universe means there's an alternate you. We've talked about it, but the final battle still happened, only just a little differently. I never got the letter from the Flamels. Never became Bad Wolf."

"And your name?"

She laughs. "It's my real name. Hermione Jean Granger, meet Hermione Jane Granger."

* * *

Everyone seemed to be in an uproar when we arrived.

"What happened!" Hermione yelled, drawing attention to the two of us.

Jake looked either close to punching something, or close to crying. "It's all his fault."

"There was nothing we could do."

"Shut it." He glared, "Just shut it. Don't even talk about him. You're nothing, you are. Nothing." He stormed off, Harry following him.

Ron and Mickey gave us a brief explanation of what happened. Ron couldn't apparate all the way to the meeting point with two people, so he stopped. Unfortunately, it was right beside a cyberman, who'd managed to electrocute Ricky before either of them could react.

The Doctor sighed, "We can mourn him when London is safe. But now, we move on."

* * *

"The whole of London's been sealed off, and the entire population's been taken inside that place. To be converted." Ron started.

Ginny frowned, "We've got to get in there and shut it down."

"How do we do that?" Mickey asked, frowning.

The Doctor shrugged, "Oh, I'll think of something."

"You're just making this up as you go along." Mickey asked accusingly.

The Doctor grins, "Yep, but I do it brilliantly."

Mrs Moore came over with a schematic of the factory, showing us on her laptop. "Look. Cooling tunnels underneath the plant. Big enough to walk through."

"We go under there and up into the control centre?"

"Mmm." She hummed the affirmative.

Pete cleared his throat and we all turned to him. "There's another way in. Through the front door. If they've taken Jackie for upgrading, that's how she'll get in."

"We can't just go strolling up." Jake muttered, bringing up a good point.

Mrs Moore reached for her bag. "Or we could, with these." She pulls out two sets of ear-pods. "Fake ear-pods. Dead. No signal. But put them on, the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd."

"Then that's my job." Pete said, determined.

"You'd have to show no emotion." The Doctor protested, "None at all. Any sign of emotion would give you away."

Hermione frowned. "How many of those have you got?"

"Just two sets."

I nod. "Okay. If that's the best way of finding Jackie, then I coming with you."

"Why does she matter to you?" Pete said, frowning.

Hermione frowns, "We haven't got time. I'll follow behind you two, keep you safe."

I give the Doctor a look, "I'm going with him, and that's that."

"No stopping you, is there?"

"No."

He sighs, but nods, "Tell you what. We can take the ear pods at the same time. Give people their minds back so they don't walk into that place like sheep." He turns to Jake, "Jakey-boy? Lumic's transmitting the control signal. It must be from over there." He waves his sonic towards the general area, and the lights turn on. "There it is. On the zeppelin, you see? Great big transmitter. Good thing Lumic likes showing off. Reckon you could take it out?"

Jake grins, "Consider it done."

"Mrs Moore, would you care to accompany me into the cooling tunnels?" He turned to the elder woman.

Hermione turned to Ron, who spat out orders for Harry and Ginny. Harry would go with the Doctor and Mrs Moore down to the cooling tunnels, while he and Ginny would go with Jake.

The Doctor nods, "We attack on three sides. Above, between, below. We get to the control centre, we stop the conversion machines."

"What about me?"

We all turn to Mickey, and the Doctor raises a hand to rub his neck. "Mickey, you can, er..."

"What, stay out of trouble? Be the tin dog? No, those days are over, I'm going with Jake and them."

Jake hissed, "We don't need you, idiot."

"I'm not an idiot! You got that? I'm offering to help."

"Whatever."

The Doctor still looks a little awkward, "Mickey, good luck."

Mickey nods, "Yeah, you too. Rose, I'll see you later." He, Jake, Ron and Ginny started walking away.

The Doctor turned to me. "If we survive this, I'll see you back at the TARDIS."

I nod, pulling him into a hug.

He holds me close, and whispers, "Good luck." in my ear.

* * *

"So, how exactly are you going to be able to walk through this without ear-pods?" Pete asked, turning to Hermione.

She flicked her wrist, and suddenly she looked like she had a pair of ear-pods in. A glamour. He frowned.

Turning to me, he tried giving a reassuring smile. "Just put them on. Don't show any emotion. No signs, nothing. Okay?"

"Don't worry. We can do it." I said, giving him a smile.

We slip the ear-pods in and Pete frowns. "We could die in here. Why are you two doing this?"

"Let's just say I'm doing it for a girl who died too early." I answered.

Hermione grinned. "I'm doing it because she's doing it."

"Right, let's go."

We join in the line, and actually make it. I keep my face blank. I was about to react when one of the cybermen stopped the line right in front of me.

"You okay?" Pete whispered from behind me.

I swallow. "No."

I watch one of the zombie like women walk into one of the chambers, hearing the screaming and the whirling of blades.

"Any sign of Jackie?" He whispered. I didn't get to answer as one of the Cybermen clomped up to us.

"_You are Peter Tyler. Confirm you are Peter Tyler._"

He frowns, but says, "Confirmed."

"_I recognize you. I went first. My name was Jacqueline Tyler._"

"Dear Merlin."

"No!"

"What?"

"_They are unprogrammed. Restrain._"

Pete had unshed tears in his eyes. "You're lying. You're not her. You're not my Jackie!"

"_No, I am Cyber-form. Once I was Jacqueline Tyler._"

I gaped. "But you can't be. Not her."

"_Her brain is inside this body._"

"Jacs, I came to save you."

The cyberman (cyberwoman?) didn't respond. "_This man worked with Cybus Industries to create our species. He will be rewarded by force. Take him to Cyber Control._"

* * *

We get dragged in to see the Doctor and Harry pacing the room. "We've been captured, but don't worry, Rose and Pete are still out there. They can rescue us. Oh well, never mind." He looks at us closely, and frowns, "You okay?"

"Yeah." I nod, "But they got Jackie."

"We were too late. Lumic killed her." Pete completed.

Harry and Hermione were trading murmurs. "Can't we call..."

"...bad idea. How would we explain..."

"What about... and Martha?"

"...And how would we explain that one?"

"What're you two talking about?" The Doctor asked, looking at them.

They glanced at each other, before answering, "Your future."

"I hate people who know my future." He grumbled.

"We know." Hermione and Harry answered in tandem.

The Doctor sighed before turning back to the cybermen. "Then where is he, the famous Mister Lumic? Don't we get the chance to meet our Lord and Master?" A chill went up my spine four or five times at his use of that phrase.

"_He has been upgraded._"

I swallow, getting my head back into the game. "So, he's just like you?"

"_He is superior. The Lumic Unit has been designated Cyber Controller._"

A door behind him opens and a large cyberman is wheeled out in a wheelchair. "_This is the Age of Steel and I am its Creator._"

Suddenly there was an uproar from the factory floor. The Doctor grinned, "That's my friends at work. Good job! Mister Lumic, I think that's a vote for free will."

"_I have factories waiting on seven continents. If the ear-pods have failed, then the Cybermen will take humanity by force. London has fallen. So shall the world. A new world shall rise. A world of unity and uniformity._"

I all but growl out, "And imagination? What about that? The one thing that lead you here, imagination, you're killing it dead!"

"_What is your name?_"

I glare at him, "I've got many names, the one I like most right now is the one the Daleks gave me. The Abomination."

The Doctor stepped in front of me. "I'm the Doctor."

"_A redundant title. Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken. There will never need to be a title called Abomination._"

"Yeah, but that's it. That's exactly the point! Oh, Lumic, you're a cleaver man. I'd call you a genius, except I'm in the room." The Doctor started.

"The man's got an ego the size of Russia." Harry hissed. The Doctor ignored him.

"But everything you've invented, you did to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant. That is so human. But once you get rid of sickness and mortality, then what's there to strive for, eh? The Cybermen won't advance. You'll just stop. You'll stay like this forever. A metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts, lacking the one thing that makes this planet so alive. People. Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people."

"_You are proud of your emotions._"

"Oh yes."

"_Then tell me, Doctor. Have you known grief, and rage and pain?_"

"Yes. Yes I have." I reached for his hand, holding it tight.

"_And they hurt?_"

He gave a bittersweet smile, "Oh, yes."

"_I could set you free. Would you not want that? A life without pain?_"

Harry steps forward, "I think I speak for all of us when I say you might as well just kill us."

"_Then I take that option._"

I stand up, "It's not yours to take. You're a Cyber Controller. You don't control us, or anything with blood in its heart."

"_You have no means of stopping me. I have an army. A species of my own._"

The Doctor laughs, "You just don't get it, do you? An army's nothing. Because those ordinary people, they're the key. The most ordinary person can change the world." He looked up towards something, giving it a wink. I resist the temptation to look and see what he was looking at as he continued, "Some ordinary man, or woman. Some idiot. All it takes is for him to find, day, the right numbers. Say the right codes. Say, for example, the code behind the emotional inhibitor. The code right in front of him. Because even an idiot knows how to use computers these days. Knows how to get past firewalls and passwords. Knows how to find something encrypted in the Lumic Family Database, under, er... What was it, Pete? Binary what?"

I grin, knowing exactly where the Doctor was going with this. Pete frowned but answered, "Binary Nine."

"Any idiot could find that code. Cancellation code. And he'd keep on typing. Keep on fighting. Anything to save his friends."

"_Your words are irrelevant._"

"Yeah, talk too much, that's my problem. Lucky I got you that cheap tariff, Rose, for all our long chats. On your phone."

"_You will be deleted._"

The Doctor smiles, walking towards one of the control booths. "Yes. Delete, control, hash. All those lovely buttons. Then, of course, my particular favourite, send. And let's not forget how you seduced all those ordinary people in the first place. By making every bit of technology compatible with everything else."

My phone beeps, and I glance at it. A text message with a string of numbers. "It's for you." I call, throwing him the phone.

He catches it, throws a grin at Lumic, before inserting the phone on the docking station. "Like this." The code gets transmitted, and we hear cybermen crying out in pain.

"I'm sorry."

"_What have you done?_" A cyberman's head explodes.

"I gave them back their souls. They can see what you've done, Lumic, and it's killing them!" We all run out of the room.

We follow the Doctor, only to find ourselves at a dead end. He voices the obvious.

My phone rings again. It's Mickey. I answer it. "_Hold it! Rose? Rose can you hear me? Head for the roof!_"

I voice Mickey's instructions. We run up to the roof, and I look up in amazement. Holding the phone to my ear, I ask him, "Mickey, where'd you learn to fly that thing?"

"_Playstation. Just hold on, Rose. We're coming to get you._"

I hear a scruffle on the speaker, and then a rope ladder falls out of the zeppelin.

"You've got to be kidding." Pete says, looking at the ladder.

I smile at him, "I've travelled by hanging off a balloon before, lots of fun. You should try it during a German aid raid with the Union Flag across your chest." We all manage to climb onto the rope ladder, Pete being the last one.

Harry laughs, grinning, "We did it! We did it!"

The jinx was instantaneous. "Harry James Potter, I don't care if I have to battle Ginny, I am going to kill you." Hermione yelled.

The Doctor gets the screwdriver out, and he passes it down to Pete, "Take this! Use it! Hold the button down! Press it against the rope. Just do it!"

"Jackie Tyler. This is for her!" The rope gives way, and Lumic, who was holding us down, falls.

* * *

Pete's standing on his own, and I'm talking to the troublesome four who aided us. "Alright, so how exactly do I end up telling you lot about this?"

"Can't say. Spoilers." Hermione grinned.

I sigh, "Well then, anything you can tell me?"

Their faces grow serious for a moment. "You come talk to us after the massacre."

I swallow, "On Diagon Alley?" I ask, trying to clarify. They all nod.

I swallow, again. They look at each other, "We've got to go." We all say our good-byes, and I turn to the Doctor and Mickey.

"Here it is. I found it. Not a crease." Mickey said, handing the Doctor over his clothes. I roll my eyes.

The Doctor grins, "My suit! Good man." He grows serious, turning to Jake, "Now then, Jake, we've got to run. But one more thing. Mrs Moore. Her real name was Angela Price. She's got a husband out there, and children. Find them. Tell them how she died saving the world."

"Yeah, course I will." Jake said, grinning.

The Doctor nods, "Off we go then."

"Er..." Mickey starts out, uncertain, "Thing is, I'm staying."

"You're doing what?"

I swallow, looking at him, "You can't."

Mickey sighs, "It sort of balances out, because this world lost its Ricky, but there's me. And there's work to be done with all those Cybermen still out there."

"But you can't stay." I protested.

"Rose, my gran's here. She's alive. My old gran, remember her?"

"Yeah." I nod, tears welling up in my eyes.

"She needs me."

I nod. "What about me? What if I need you?" I'd grown attached to Mickey since we'd been travelling together. He felt like a brother to me.

"Yeah, but Rose, you don't. It's just you and him, isn't it. We're still friends, but sometimes people gotta move on."

I nod, knowing he was right, "Well, we'll come back. We can travel anywhere. Come and see you, yeah?" I look at the Doctor for confirmation.

Apology blooms on his face, "We can't. I told you, travel between parallel worlds is impossible. We only got here by accident. We, we fell through a crack in time. When we leave, I've got to close it. We can't ever return."

"Doctor." Mickey said, holding out his hand. They shook.

The Doctor swallowed, "Take Rose's phone. It's got the code. Get it out there. Stop those factories. And good luck, Mickey the idiot."

"Watch it." Mickey says. The Doctor goes back into the TARDIS, just leaving Mickey and I.

I pass him my phone. "Thanks. We've had a laugh though, haven't we? Seen it all, been there and back. Who would have thought, me off the old estate, flying through the stars, meeting aliens and witches."

I laugh, "All those years, just sitting there, imagining what you'd do one day. Never saw this, did you?"

"Did you?" I laugh, giving him a smile. I go to hug him, but he takes a step back.

He frowns, "'Sides, I figure I need to find someone for me, you know. Someone who's not gonna have a witch replace her when she dies."

I swallow, nodding. He hugs me anyway, and I walk into the TARDIS, crying.

* * *

Mickey frowned, watching the TARDIS dematerialize in front of him for the last time.

"What the hell?" Jake said, surprise and disbelief colouring his tone.

Mickey swallows, "That's the Doctor, in the TARDIS with Hermione Granger. How things should be."


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: So, anyone like the canon-ish twist I popped in? I thought it was brilliant, if I do say so myself.

**A/N 2**: I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend. And please, if you match the criteria below, I do need someone to talk to. If you are worried about spoilers, don't be. It's all theoretical.

**NEEDED:**

Someone familiar with the early Who. Preferably Doctors 3-5. And someone with knowledge of Gallifrey. It's for another story, but I don't want to make things up, and I don't want to screw everything up. TARDIS files only has so much.

**A/N 3**: So, another new character added to the mix. And I have to say, behind Maria, Bast is one of my favourite characters. It's pronounced like the Egyptian Cat Goddess, btw. :) I am not going to be including the episode with the Wire. The episode that this chapter is based on is The Impossible Planet.

**Part 2**: Relearning Life and Death

**Chapter 15**: Meeting Bast

It had been a long month since we'd left Mickey in an alternate universe. The Doctor took me to visit Jackie right after, which left us attempting to explain what happened. And then there was that crazy bitch that stole my face called the wire.

It was tiring and annoying, which is why I had a bad feeling when we stepped out of the TARDIS in some sort of storage shed.

"I don't know what's wrong though. She's sort of queasy. Indigestion, like she didn't want to land." The Doctor commented, following me out. He placed a hand on the blue doors, frowning.

I frown too, "Oh, if you think there's going to be trouble, we could always get back inside and go somewhere else."

There's a pause, before we both burst out laughing at the thought. Wiping away tears of mirth, the Doctor looks around, "I think we've landed inside a cupboard. Here we go."

"_Open door 15._" A computer voice sounded.

The Doctor looks around. "Some sort of base. Moon base, sea base, space base. They build these things out of kits."

"_Close door 15._"

I hear some sort of storm going on. "I'm glad we're indoors, sounds like a storm out there."

"_Open door 16._"

The Doctor continued, "Human design. You've got a thing about kits. This place was put together like a flat pack wardrobe, only bigger." He pauses, frowning, "And easier."

"_Open door 17._"

"Oh, it's a sanctuary base."

"_Close door 17._"

"Deep space exploration. We've gone way out. And listen to that, underneath. Someone's drilling."

I glance at the writing on the wall across from us. "Welcome to hell." I read aloud.

"Oh, it's not that bad." The Doctor said, giving me a look.

I point to the writing across from us, "No, over there." The words are painted on the wall, which makes my skin crawl. Underneath is a vertical alien script.

"Hold on, what does that say?" He looks at the script, and frowns, "That's weird, it won't translate."

I frown, "I thought the TARDIS translated everything, writing as well. We should see English."

"Exactly. If that's not working, then it means this writing is old. Very old. Impossibly old. We should find out who's in charge." He turns to another door, and starts turning the wheel. "We've gone beyond the reach of the TARDIS' knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone's lucky enough..."

The door opens to a bunch of aliens, who have tentacles where humans have noses and mouths. They were pale white, a little pink, with slanted eyes. Underneath the tentacles, there was a white tube going up to a ball, one of which was held in one of each's hands.

"Oh! Right, Hello. Sorry. I was just saying, er, nice base."

They all spoke through the balls back at us, "We must feed."

The Doctor blinks, and I've started edging towards the other door, glancing to see how far it would be to pull him that way. "You've got to what?"

"We must feed."

I grab his hand, frowning, "I think they mean us." More of them enter through our escape route, and I drag him until we're against the wall saying 'Welcome to hell.'

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

The Doctor takes out his sonic, and I subtly take out my wand.

The aliens stop, and one of them speaks up, "We must feed." He taps the globe, as if trying to get it to work. "You, if you are hungry."

I blink. The Doctor frowns, "Sorry?"

"We apologise. Electromagnets have interfered with speech systems. Would you like some refreshment?" The alien said.

We stand there gaping until the computer opens another door. "_Open door 18_." Humans enter.

The first one says, "What the hell? How did..." He looks confused. The aliens make a way for them to move towards us. The first one starts talking into a wrist communicator. "Captain, you're not going to believe this. We've got people. Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean two living people, just standing here right in front of me."

"_Don't be stupid, that's impossible._" His wrist answered back.

"I suggest telling them that."

I frown, giving him a look, "But you're a sort of space base. You must have visitors now and then. It can't be impossible."

"You're telling me you don't know where you are?"

The Doctor grins, "No idea, more fun that way."

A voice comes on overhead, "_Stand by, everyone. Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake point five on its way._"

"Through here, now. Quickly, come one! Move." He leads us towards a control room.

The man in the captain's chair gapes at us. "Oh, my God. You meant it."

One of the women in the room gasp. "People! Look at that, real people!"

"That's us. Hooray!" The Doctor said, confused at the reactions. One of the men in the room laughed at him.

I frown, "Yeah, definitely real. My name's Rose. Rose Tyler. And, and this is the Doctor."

Another one of the men frown, "Come on the oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating. They can't be." He goes up to us, placing a hand on my shoulder. "No, they're real."

The captain frowns. "Come on, we're in the middle of an alert! Danny, strap up. The quake's coming in! Impact in thirty seconds! Sorry you two, whoever you are. Just hold on tight."

I give him a look, "Hold on to what?"

"Anything. I don't care. Just hold on. Ood, are we fixed?" He addressed the last part to one of the aliens.

"Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated."

The Doctor frowned, grabbing hold of one of the bars in the room. I followed suit. "What's this planet called, anyway?"

The captain looked at us. "Now, don't be stupid. It hasn't got a name. How could it have a name?" He sees something on our faces and frowns. "You really don't know, do you?"

One of the women yell out, "And impact!"

The whole place shakes for a few minutes. It stops, and the Doctor lets go. "Oh, well, that wasn't so bad." I grab on tighter, because the moment he said that, the quake started again, much worse. Bad enough that some of the panels burst into flame.

The captain gets up. "Okay, that's it. Everyone alright?" When he doesn't hear anything, he voices. "Speak to me, Bast."

"Bruised but working."

He goes through names, and each one responds.

"We're fine, thanks, fine. Yeah, don't worry about us."

The captain frowned, "The surface caved in. I deflected it onto storage five through eight. We've lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link."

One of the men frowns, "That's not my department."

"Just do as I say, yeah?" Toby leaves, sighing.

I glance around the room, zeroing in on someone with bright blue eyes. He had dark brown hair, and was completely skinny. He reminded me of someone. He spoke next, "Oxygen holding. Internal gravity fifty six point six. We should be okay." He looks up, glancing at the Doctor and I, before his jaw dropped.

He walked over to us, almost waiting for us to disappear. He swallowed. "If I said the name River...?" He trails off, watching our reactions. He frowns, "How about Martha?" After our lack of reaction, he tries one more time, "Saxon?" I fight to react to that name, which he notices. Something seems to click in his brain, because he nods. "That would explain it. What regeneration are you on?"

The Doctor sputters, "How-"

"I'm your son. Now, regeneration."

The Doctor answers in shock, "Ten."

"How do you mean, you're his son?" I ask, growling out.

He turns to me, "Back off blondie, this doesn't concern you."

"Don't you talk to Rose like that!" The Doctor growls out.

The kid's eyes flew open wide. "Shit. Mum's going to kill me."

"Alright, you two, can it, the both of you." I yell. They both turn to me, "Now, back to more important matters." I turn to the captain. "Never mind the earthquake, that's one hell of a storm? Is it a hurricane or something?"

"You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane. There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum." One of the women said.

I frown, "Then what's shaking the roof?"

The other woman in the room blinks. "You're not joking. You really don't know." She looks between the two of us and the kid.

The kid frowns, "It's the story of their lives."

"Well, introductions. FYI, as they said in the olden days. I'm Ida Scott, second in command. Zachary Cross Flane, acting captain, sir. Bast Smith, science officer and apparently your son? You've met Mister Jefferson, he's Head of Security. Danny Bartock, Ethics committee."

Danny speaks up, "Not as boring as it sounds."

"And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, Archaeology, and this is Scooti Manistra, Trainee maintenance. And this? This is home." She pulls a level, and the shutters overhead begin opening.

Zach tries to warn us, "Brace yourselves. The sight of it sends some people mad."

Between the Doctor and I, I was the first one to comment. "That's a black hole."

"But that's impossible."

Zach sighs, "I did warn you."

"We're standing under a black hole."

Bast laughs, "In orbit."

"But we can't be."

"You can see for yourself. We're in orbit."

The Doctor turns to Bast, "But we can't be."

"This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. No matter how much you protest something existing, it still exists." He comments.

"That's... We're... I think I'll quote Rio on this, 'We've bypassed good and went straight for horrible." I frown, looking down.

Bast frowns too, "So you've already met Rio then?"

The Doctor ignores him, "Horrible doesn't even begin to cover it. A black hole's a dead star. It collapses in on itself, in and in and in until the matter's so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too. Nothing in the universe can escape it. Light, gravity time. Everything just gets pulled inside and crushed." He rounds on Bast, "And I let you come here?"

"Most likely to avoid a paradox." Bast comments, frowning.

"So, they can't be in orbit. We should be pulled right in." I said, bringing the attention away from the domestics.

The Doctor frowns. "We should be dead."

"And yet here we are, beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board." Bast says sarcastically. I give him a look.

"But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?"

Ida answers this for us. "Stars breaking up. Gas clouds. We have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads, before falling into that thing."

I can feel myself paling, "So, a bit worse than a storm, then."

"Just a bit."

* * *

Toby came in, looking a little spooked. "The rocket link's fine."

Zach brought up a hologram of the area. "That's the black hole, officially designated K three seven Gen five."

"In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called Kroptor, the bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out, because it was poison." Ida commented.

I nod, "The bitter pill. I like that."

"We're so far out. Lost in the drifts of the universe. How did you even get here?!"

The captain explained it for the Doctor.

"If the gravity funnel closes, there's no way out." Danny commented.

Scooti grinned, "We had fun speculating about that."

"Oh yeah, that's the word, fun."

The Doctor exploded, confused, "But that field would take phenomenal amounts of power. I mean not just big, but off the scale! Can I?" He gestures to some form of calculator.

"Help yourself."

One of the aliens hands me a drink. "Your refreshment."

I nod my thanks. "I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"We have no titles. We are as one." The alien walks away.

I turn to Danny, the 'ethics committee' head. "Er, what are they called?"

He laughed at me. "Oh, come on. Where have you been living? Everyone's got one."

"Well, not me. What are they?" I growl out.

Danny raises his hand in surrender. "They're Ood." At my look, he continues. "They work the mine shafts. All the drilling and stuff. Supervision and maintenance. They're born for it. Basic slave race."

The first thought that came to mind was house elves. "You've got slaves?"

"Don't start." Scooti said, frowning, "She's like one of that lot. Friends of the Ood."

I give her a look, "Well, maybe I am, yeah. Since when do humans need slaves?"

"But the Ood offer themselves. If you don't give them orders, they just pine away and die." Danny protested.

I give him a look. "And where is the evidence that backs that up?" I turn to one of the Ood, "You like being ordered about?"

"It is all we crave."

I swallow heavily, "Why's that then?"

"We have nothing else in life."

I frown, "I used to think like that a long time ago."

The Doctor came out of whatever calculations he was doing. "There we go. Do you see? To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self extrapolationg reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds."

"That's a lot of sixes." I comment, frowning.

He gives me his 'stupid ape' look, "And it's impossible."

"I know that." I hiss back.

Bast frowned, "Took me a few hours to figure that out."

"You told us it took two years." Zach said, protesting. Bast shrugged.

Ida frowned, "That's why we're here. This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. We're drilling down to try and find it."

"It's giving of readings of over ninety stats on the Blazon scale." Zach said.

Ida grinned, "It could revolutionize modern science."

"We could use it to fuel the empire." Jefferson commented.

I took a darker look at things, "Or to start a war."

Toby frowned, "It's buried beneath us, in the darkness, waiting."

"Oh dear, is your job chief dramatist?" I comment towards Toby.

He flushes, "Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomena. And this, er, planet once supported life eons ago, before the human race had even learned to walk."

The Doctor watched him, "I saw that lettering on the wall. Did you do that?"

"I copied it from fragments we found unearthed by the drilling, but I can't translate it."

The Doctor frowned, muttering, "Neither can I, and that's saying something."

"There was some form of civilization. They buried something. Now it's reaching out, calling us in." Toby continued, either not hearing or, more likely, ignoring the Doctor's comments.

"And you came." The Doctor finished.

Ida frowned, "Well, how could we not?"

"So when it comes right down to it, why did you come here? Why did you do that? Why?" He grins, "I'll tell you why. Because it was there. Brilliant. Excuse me, er, Zach was it?"

The captain nods, "That's me."

"Just stand there, because I'm going to hug you. Is that all right?"

He frowns, "I suppose so."

"Here we go. Come on then." The Doctor hugs the captain, and then releases him, grinning. "Oh, human beings. You are amazing! Ha! Thank you."

"Not at all." Zach says, frowning.

The Doctor turns serious. "But apart from that, you're completely mad. You should pack your bags, get back in that ship and fly for your lives."

Ida frowned, "You can talk. And how the hell did you get here?"

"I can vouch for them." Bast stepped in, "Where'd you guys park her, anyway?"

I frown, trying to remember, "We parked down the corridor from habitation area..."

"Three." The Doctor finished.

Zach frowned, "Do you mean storage six?"

"Yeah, it was a bit of a cupboard, yeah." The words seemed to sink in, "Storage six. But you said... You said... You said storage five to eight." He turns on his heel, and runs out of the room.

I'm following right on his trail, Bast right behind me.

We get to where the TARDIS is supposed to be. "It can't be. It can't be!" The Doctor said, shock displayed on his face.

"You don't mean?" I ask, voice almost breathless. I can barely breath.

The Doctor turns to me, eyes wide in shock, "The TARDIS is gone." He swallowed, looking at me as if for the first time. "The earthquake. This section collapsed."

"But it's got to be out there somewhere." I said, looking out the window. I blinked, there was nothing. Ringing started in my ears, I couldn't hear anything he said next.

* * *

We ended up back in the control room, with Zach telling us that he couldn't help. He and Ida exit the room, leaving the Doctor and I alone. "I've trapped you here."

I swallow, giving him what I hope is a reassuring smile. "No, don't worry about me." And I was honest. We'd been trapped in 1969 by the weeping angels. Compared to that, I figured this was heaven.

* * *

I was standing in the lunch line, attempting to be friendly with the ood when I felt a tingle on my mental shields.

"The Beast and his Armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against the Gods."

I frown. Looking at the Ood. "I'm sorry?"

"Apologies. I said, I hope you enjoy your meal."

I blink, "Yeah."

I sit down next to the Doctor when Ida comes in, "You might want to see this. Moment in history." She opens the shutters in the room, showing us the view of the black hole. "There, on the edge. That red cloud. That used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi, a mighty civilization spanning a billion years, disappearing forever. Their planets and suns consumed. Ladies and gentlemen, we have just witnessed its passing." She goes to close the door, when the Doctor protests, asking her to keep it open.

I look up into the sky. "Long way from home." I comment.

He frowns, looking at the sky for a moment. "Go that way, turn right, keep going for, er, about, er, five hundred years, and you'll reach the Earth." I give him a smile.

I glance at my phone, frowning. "No signal. That's the first time we've gone out of range. Mind you, even if I could, what would I tell her? Could you build another TARDIS?"

He frowns, "They were grown not built. And with my own planet gone, we're king of stuck."

"Well, it could be worse. This lot said they'd give us a lift."

"And then what?"

I shrug, "I dunno. Find a planet, get a job, live a life, same as the rest of the universe."

"I'd have to settle down. Get a house or something. A proper house with, with doors and things. Carpets. Me, living in a house. Now that, that is terrifying."

"You'll have to get a mortgage."

"No."

I laugh at him, "Oh, yes."

"I'm dying. That's it. I'm dying. It is all over." He said, hiding his face in his hands.

I laugh at him again. "What about me? I'd have to get one, too. I don't know, could be the same one." I give him a look out of the corner of my eye, "We could both, I don't know, share. Or not, you know. Whatever. I don't know. We'll sort something out. Maybe we could get Bast to take us somewhere."

"I'd promise Jackie I'd always take you back home."

"Everyone leaves home in the end."

"Not to end up stuck here."

I smile, "Yeah, but stuck with you, that's not so bad."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

My phone rings, and I frown, glancing down at it. I answer, only to hear "_He is awake._"

* * *

We head down to Ood habitation, or at least the Doctor does. I follow him down. After telling him what the phone said, he seemed to have an idea.

"Evening." The Doctor called out.

Danny jumped. I frowned, "Only us."

Danny looks at us, and then continues back to working on his little toy. "The mysterious couple. How are you, then? Settling in? Strange suddenly seeing your son again?"

The Doctor frowned. "Yeah. Sorry, straight to business. The Ood, how do they communicate? I mean, with each other."

"Oh, just empaths. There's a low level telepathic field connecting them. Not that it does them much good. They're basically a herd race. Like cattle."

The Doctor frowned, "This telepathic field, can it pick up messages?"

"Because I was having dinner, and one of the Ood said something, well, odd." I frown, lacking a better word.

Danny seemed to belittle me, "Hmm, an odd Ood."

I shoot him a glare. "I got something else on my communicator."

"Oh, be fair. We've got whole solar systems burning up around us. There's all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing. Look, if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid, they don't even tell us when they're ill."

"Monitor the field. That's this thing?" The Doctor said, pointing out a control box. It said 'reading basic 5'.

Danny nods, "But like I said, it's low level telepathy. They only register basic five." I glanced at the screen, which showed the number slowly going up.

"Well, that's not basic five. Ten, twenty. They've gone up to basic thirty."

Danny looks a little freaked out. "But they can't."

I glance down at the Ood in the pen. They all were staring at us. "Doctor, the Ood." I turn to Danny, "What does basic thirty mean?"

Danny pales, "Well it means that they're shouting, screaming inside their heads."

"Or something's shouting at them."

Danny frowns at the Doctor, "But where is it coming from? What is it saying? What did it say to you?" He directed the last question at me.

"Something about the beast in the pit." I said, trying to recall the exact words.

Danny frowned, "What about your communicator? What did that say?"

I swallow, "He is awake."

"_And you will worship him._" The Ood all replied in tandem.

"What the hell?" Danny cried out.

The Doctor tried the words again, only to have the Ood repeat the same sentence back. "Worship who?" There was no reply, "Who's talking to you? Who is it?"

"_Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach._" The computer sounded.

"Which section?" Danny asked, frowning.

The captain came on the speakers, "_Everyone, evacuate eleven to thirteen. We've got a breach. The base is open. Repeat, the base is open!_"

We all run towards the section, hoping to make sure everyone's alright.

"Everyone alright? What happened? What was it?" The Doctor asked, looking around.

Bast answered him, "There was a hull breach. We were open to the elements. Another couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters."

"What caused it?"

The question was ignored. The Doctor looked down at Toby, "What happened?"

"I don't. I don't know. I was working and then I can't remember. All that noise. The room was falling apart. There was no air..."

I frown, "Come on, up you get. Come and have some protein one."

"Oh, you've gone native." The Doctor said, mock horrified.

Bast replies, "Don't knock it. It's nice, protein one, with just a dash of three."

* * *

In habitation three, we all found each other. Everyone but Scooti.

"Zach? We've got a problem. Scooti's still missing." Jefferson called through the armcom.

There was a pause, "_It says Habitation three._"

"Yeah, well, that's where I am, and I'm telling you, she's not here."

I glanced at the Doctor, who's attention seemed to be on the roof, I looked up and gasped. "I've found her." The Doctor muttered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Oh, my God."

The ringing in my ears started again, it didn't stop until I heard Ida say, "It's stopped."

"What was that? What is it?" I said, glancing around the room.

The Doctor frowned, "The drill."

"We've stopped drilling. We've made it. Point Zero."

I am about to run over, screaming at the man I saw in the space suit. After talking with the captain, he walks over to me. "Oxygen, nitro balance, gravity. It's been ages since I wore one of these."

I give him a look, "I want that spacesuit back in one piece, you got that?"

"Yes, sir." He says, faking a salute. He slips on his helmet, and a random thought pops into my head.

"It's funny, because people back home think that space travel's going to be all whizzing about and teleports and anti-gravity, but it's not, is it? It's tough." I said, blinking back tears.

He gives me a look. "I'll see you later."

"Not if I see you first."

He climbs into the capsule, and I watch the capsule fall.

"Don't forget to breath. Breathing's good."

"_Rose stay off the comm._" Zach's voice came through.

"No chance." The capsule wire shutters, and then suddenly stops. "Doctor! Doctor, are you alright?"

"_Ida, report to me. Doctor?_" I hold my breath, waiting for his voice to come through.

"_It's alright. We've made it. Getting out of the capsule now._"

I breath out a sigh of relief. "What's it like down there?"

Bast comes up behind me. I offer him the comm, but he refuses. "_It's hard to tell. Some sort of cave. Cavern. It's massive._"

"_Well this should help. Gravity globe._" There is a pause, before Ida continues, "_That's, that's. My God, that's beautiful._"

"_Rose, you can tell Toby we've found his civilization._"

I grin, I turn to Toby, who's curled up in a corner, "Oi, Toby. Sounds like you've got plenty of work." He mutters something, and I frown. He seems to be acting a little bit different that what I'd seen before.

I'm just listening to the conversation between Zach, the Doctor, and Ida, when Danny inserts himself in. "_Captain, sir. There's something happening with the Ood._"

I feel my blood freeze. "_What are they doing?_"

"_They're staring at me. I've told them to stop, but they won't._" Bast and I exchange glances.

Zach sighs over the comm. "_Danny, you're a big boy. I think you can handle being stared at._"

"_But the telepathic field, sir. It's at basic one hundred. I've checked, there isn't any fault. It's definitely one hundred._"

"_But that's impossible._"

"What's basic one hundred mean?"

"_They should be dead._"

Jefferson looks over to me, "Basic one hundred's brain death."

"_But their still safe. They're not actually moving?_"

"_No, sir._"

"_Keep watching them. And you, Jefferson? Keep a guard on the Ood._" I glance at the Ood in the room.

The Doctor's voice came up the comm, "_Is everything alright up there?_"

"Yeah, yeah."

"_It's fine._"

"_Great._"

I listened to the Doctor and Ida discussing the area, and went to look at Toby when they found the pit. "Toby, they need to know that lettering. Does it make any sort of sense?"

"I know what it says."

I frown, "Then tell them."

"When did you work that out?" Jefferson asked.

I shake my head, "It doesn't matter, just tell them."

He stands up, covered in the symbols, and his eyes are bright red. Possession. Shit.

"**_These are the words of the Beast. And he has woken. He is the heart that beats in the darkness. He is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise._**"

"Officer, stand down. Stand down." Jefferson called, turning to Toby, pointing his gun. People are panicking on the comm link, but I'm focusing on what happening.

I offer a quick explanation of the events, "He's come out in those symbols all over his face. They're all over him."

"**_Mister Jefferson. Tell me, sir. Did your wife ever forgive you?_**"

"I don't know what you mean."

"**_Let me tell you a secret. She never did._**"

"Officer, you stand down and be confined."

"**_Or what?_**"

"Or under the strictures of Condition Red, I am authorized to shoot you."

"**_But how many can you kill?_**"

He opens his mouth, and the dark symbols on his skin seem to dissolve into vapour. They immediately rush over to the Ood, who seem to jerk to attention. Toby collapses.

The Ood look at us, and in union say, "**_We are the Legion of the Beast. The Legion shall be many and the Legion shall be few._**"

The comm errupts with people demanding to know what is going on. "It's the Ood."

"Sir we have a contamination in the livestock." Mr Jefferson commented.

I frown, Bast takes the comm from me. "No idea what it is Dad. It's like they're possessed."

"They won't listen to us."

"**_He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abadddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan or Lucifer. Or the Bringer of Despair, the Deathless Prince, the Bringer of the Night. These are the words that shall set him free._**"

Jefferson tries to lead us towards the doors. "**_I shall become manifest. I shall walk in might. My Legions shall swarm across the worlds._**"

I hear Zach over the comm, "_We're moving! The whole thing's moving. The planet's moving._"

"**_I am the sin and the temptation and the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the darkness._**"

"Get that door open!" It only reveals a shaft.

Zach's on the comm, "_The gravity field. It's going! We're losing orbit! We're going to fall into the black hole!_"

"**_I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more._**"

We try the other door, but it's sealed too.

Over the comm unit, we hear a new voice. "**_The Pit is open. And I am free. Bwahahahaha!_**"


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: I apologise for the late-ish update. Things have been pretty hectic. I've got two midterms tomorrow. I also know it is NaNoWriMo, and I plan on working, but for me, it's going to start Tuesday. And (hopefully), I'll have the third chunk of this story finished by the end.

**A/N 2**: I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend. And please, if you match the criteria below, I do need someone to talk to. If you are worried about spoilers, don't be. It's all theoretical.

**NEEDED:**

Someone familiar with the early Who. Preferably Doctors 3-5. And someone with knowledge of Gallifrey. It's for another story, but I don't want to make things up, and I don't want to screw everything up. TARDIS files only has so much.

**A/N 3**: So, another new character added to the mix. And I have to say, behind Maria, Bast is one of my favourite characters. It's pronounced like the Egyptian Cat Goddess, btw. :) The episode that this chapter is based on is The Satan Pit. We only have one more chapter, then the intermission. I've combined The Army of Ghosts and Journey's End. Suggestions for the name of Part three are appreciated. The Donna episodes will be coming, but in the next book. I have plans for two or three unique episodes (all of which make me giggle at how much fun I'm going to have), an episode about the Dimension Cannon, and then FOUR episodes actually from the TV Show, as well as two episodes tying everything together. :) If you have any suggestions about the story, or an idea for an episode, let me know. I'm always open for suggestions.

******Part 2**: Relearning Life and Death

**Chapter 16**: Satan Pit

"Open fire!" Jefferson called, shooting the Ood.

Across the room from the comm link, I heard Zach cheer, "_We're stabilizing. We've got orbit._"

I run to the comm. "Doctor? Doctor can you hear me? Doctor, Ida, are you there?"

The door behind me opened, and I whipped my head around long enough to see Danny run in.

"It's the Ood, they've gone mad."

Jefferson takes the soldier's view of the news, "How many of them?"

"All of them! All fifty!"

"Danny, out of the way. Out of the way!" He tries to move Danny, but he won't budge.

Danny's eyes are wide, "But they're armed! It's the interface device, I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon."

Zach comes over the line, "_Jefferson, what's happening there?_"

"I've got very little ammunition, sir. How about you?"

"_All I've got is a bolt gun. With, er, all of one bolt. I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is._"

"Given the emergency, I recommend strategy nine."

"_Agreed. Right, we need to get everyone together. Rose? Bast? What about Ida and the Doctor? Any word?_"

"I can't get a reply. Just nothing. I keep trying but it's-"

"_No, sorry, I'm fine. Still here._" There's static on the line, but I breathe a sigh of relief at his voice.

"You could have said, you stupid..." There was feedback that tuned out my last word.

"_Whoa. Careful! Anyway, it's both of us. Me and Ida. Hello. But the seal opened up. It's gone. All we've got left is this chasm._"

"_How deep is it?_" Zach asks.

The Doctor sighs, "_Can't tell. It looks like it goes down forever._"

"The pit is open. That's what the voice said."

"_But there's nothing. I mean, there's nothing coming out?_"

"_No, no. No sign of the Beast._"

I swallow, "It said Satan."

"_Come on Rose. Keep it together._"

I was focusing on him being alive, and telling me I was a stupid ape. "Doctor, tell me there's no such thing."

"_Ida? I recommend that you withdraw. Immediately._" Zach came over the comm.

"_But, we've come all this way._"

"_Okay, that was an order. Withdraw. When that thing opened, the whole planet shifted. One more inch and we fall into the black hole. So this thing stops right now._"

"_But it's not much better up there with the Ood._"

"_I'm initiating strategy nine, so I need the two of you back up top immediately, no ar-_" We get static over the line for a few minutes.

The Doctor's voice comes back on, "_Rose, we're coming back._"

I laugh. "Best news I've heard all day."

I argue with Jefferson over Toby, and we come to an agreement, "Any sigh of trouble, I'll shoot him."

"_Okay, we're in. Bring us up._"

"Ascension in three, two, one." And then the power goes out.

Over the comm, a voice comes on, like before, "**_This is the darkness. This is my domain. You little things that live in the light, clinging to you feeble suns which die. Only the darkness remains._**"

"_This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctuary Base Six, representing the Torchwood archive. You will identify yourself._"

"**_You know my name._**"

"_What do you want?_"

"**_You will die here. All of you. This planet is your grave._**"

The Doctor starts up on his questions, "_If you are the Beast, then answer me this. Which one, hmm? Cos the universe has been busy since you've been gone. There's more religions than there are planets in the sky. The Archiphets, Orkology, Christianity, Pash Pash, New Judaism, San Klah, Church of the Tin Vagabond. Which devil are you?_"

"**_All of them._**"

"_What are you then, the truth behind the myth?_"

"**_This one knows me as I know him. The killer of his own kind._**"

"_How did you end up on this rock?_"

"**_The Disciples of the Light rose up against me and chained me in the pit for all eternity._**"

"_When was this?_"

"**_Before time._**"

"_What does that mean?_"

"**_Before time._**"

"_What does before time mean?_"

"**_Before light and time and space and matter. Before the cataclysm. Before this universe was created._**"

"_That's impossible. No life could have existed back then._"

"**_Is that your religion?_**"

"_It's a belief._"

"**_You know nothing. All of you, so small. The Captain, so scared of command. The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife. The scientist, running from daddy. The little boy who lied. The virgin. The son, who will never be free of his parents' shadows. And the lost girl, so far away from home. The valiant child who will die in battle so very soon._**"

"_Rose, don't listen._" The Doctor's voice called through the comm link.

"What does it mean?"

"**_You will die, and I will live._**"

"Obviously you don't know me very well."

An image flashed across the screen of a roaring horned beast. "I never really understood why Rio liked this story so much." Bast commented, ignoring the beast.

"What the hell was that?" Danny asked, freaked out.

Toby cried out, "I had that thing inside my head."

"What do we do? Jefferson?"

"Captain? What's the situation on strategy nine?"

"Zach, what do we do?"

"The planet, the orbit, the black hole. Everything's true."

"Captain, report."

"_We've lost pictures, Mister Jefferson._"

"_Did anyone get any-_"

"_Jefferson._"

"Stop."

"How did it know all that stuff?"

"_Everyone just stop!_"

"Report."

"What do we do?"

Feedback comes through the comm, making everyone shut up for a moment.

"_You want voices in the dark, then listen to mine. That thing is playing on very basic fears. Darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff._"

"But that's how the devil works." Danny protested.

"Or a good psychologist." Bast commented.

"_But, how did it know about my father?_"

"Alright, but what makes his version of the truth any better than mine? I'll tell you what I can see. Humans. Brilliant humans. Humans who travel all the way across space, flying in a tiny little rocket, right into the orbit of a black hole, just for the sake of discovery. That amazing! Can you hear me? Amazing, all of you. The Captain, his officer, his elders, his juniors, his friends. All with one advantage. The Beast is alone. We are not. If we can use that to fight against him-" I was cut off by the sound of the cable snapping.

"_The cable snapped!_"

"_Get out!_"

"Doctor, we lost the cable! Doctor, are you all right? Doctor!" I called, stopping my little monologue.

"_Comms are down. I've still got life signs, but we've lost the capsule. There's no way out. They're stuck there._"

"But we've got to bring them back." I said, looking at the others in the room.

Jefferson frowned, "They're ten miles down. We haven't got another ten miles of cable."

There was a bang on the door. More like pounding.

"Captain? Situation report." Bast called through the comms.

"_It's the Ood. They're cutting through the door bolts. They're breaking in._"

Jefferson frowned. "Yeah, it's the same on door 25."

I ask the question I'd rather not know the answer to. "How long's it going to take?"

"Well, it's only a basic frame. It should take ten minutes." Another clang, the sound of, what I assume, another bolt being cut. "Eight." Bast swallowed.

"_I've got a security frame. It might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you._"

I focused on the goal at hand, letting everything else slip away. "Right. So we need to stop them, or get out. Or both."

"I'll take both, yeah?" Danny comments, nervous. He gets serious, "But how?"

I shoot him a glare. "Were you not listening to a thing I've been saying. Why do you think it cut me off? I was making sense. I was trying to get you lot to think our way out of this. Come on!" I pause, looking around the room, "For starters, we need some lights. There's got to be some sort of power somewhere."

"_There's nothing I can do. Some Captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons._"

I roll my eyes. "Well then, press the right buttons."

"_They've gutted the generators._" His next words sounded full of inspiration and hope. _"__But the rocket's got an independent supply. If I could reroute that..._" He and Mr. Jefferson transfer the power over. "_Three, two, one. Power._"

The lights come on. "There we go."

"Let there be light!" Danny said, laughing. Everyone joins in for a second, giddy with the brief bit of success.

"What about that strategy nine thing?" I comment.

Mr Jefferson answers, "Not enough power. It need a hundred percent."

I nod in understanding. "Alright. We need a way out. Zach, Mr Jefferson, you start working on that."

"Who made you in charge Miss?" Jefferson asked, frowning.

I get up close and personal with him, releasing a bit of energy. "I made myself in charge, because no one else was doing anything but scream their heads off. I'm staying focused on getting us all out because if I don't, I am going to crack, because not only has my ride off this god-forsaken asteroid gone, but the only man I've actually got that hasn't died in front of me yet is also gone. So either work, or sit down in the corner and shut up." I take a deep breath before turning to Toby, who looks a little uneasy at my temper. "Toby, what about you?"

"I've got nothing against you running this."

I roll my eyes, "I mean, what can you do?"

"I'm not a soldier. I can't do anything."

I give him a look. "No, you're an archeologist." I comment, thinking briefly towards that old Earth movie Indiana Jones. "What do you know about the pit?"

"Well, nothing. We can't even translate the language."

I frown, thinking, "Right."

"Hold on. Maybe..." He trails off, looking at a piece of pottery in his hands.

I watch him carefully. "What is it?"

"Since that thing was inside my head, it's like the letters make more sense."

I swallow heavily at that sentence. Harry never could speak parseltongue after the piece of horocrux that was inhabiting his head disappeared. If Toby could understand some of the language, it was a pretty safe bet that he was still partially possessed. "Well, get to work. Anything you can translate, just anything." Even if he was partially possessed, I could still take advantage of the fact.

"As for you, Danny boy. You're in charge of the Ood. Any way of stopping them?"

Danny blinks, "Well, I don't know."

"Then find out." I told him, stating the obvious. "The sooner we get control of the Base, the sooner we can get the Doctor out. Shift." I turn to the final crew member in the room. "You alright?"

Bast looks up at me and blinks, seeming to come out of thought. "That's an interesting question. My dad's quite possibly going to die in the next little bit, we're hiding out from Ood who seem to've taken over the Base, and my dirty laundry was basically just aired to the whole crew."

"You're in your parents' shadows." I said, he looks away. "You know, I used to have a best friend who thought that exact same way. He had five older brothers, all of whom had done something great and brilliant. And he always asked, why bother doing something, if someone else has already done it first."

Bast swallowed, "What happened to him?"

"He paid so much attention to everyone else's paths in life. He thought those were the only ones. But he ended up creating his own path, and stepping far beyond his family's shadow. Don't focus on where everyone else is going. Focus on your own two feet." I said, giving him a small smile.

* * *

After a few more minutes of quiet chitchat, I went to go see how everyone else was doing.

Danny caught my attention first. "There's all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood. Trouble is, we haven't got them on board."

"Well, that's handy, listing all the things we haven't got. We haven't got a swimming pool either. Or a Tesco's." I might have been a little bit testy at the moment.

Danny cut me off as soon as the screen he was working on started blinking. "Oh, my God. It says yes. I can do it. Hypothetically, if you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare, it can disrupt the telepathy. Brainstorm!" I wanted to ask if he meant that last comment in reference to the event, or in reference to his thought.

"What happens to the Ood?"

"It'll tank them spark out." I frown.

"There we are, then. Do it!"

Danny frowns apologetically. "No, but I'd have to transmit from the central monitor. We need to go to Ood Habitation."

Of course, nothing could be simple. "That's what we'll do, then. Mister Jefferson, sir. Any way out?" I call to the old soldier. I walk over to him.

"Just about. There's a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base. We should be able to gain access from here." I nod looking at the schematics.

I almost snort. "Ventilation shafts." Bast doesn't hold back his laugh.

"Yeah, I appreciate the reference, but there's no ventilation. No air, in fact, at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms."

"_But I can manipulate the oxygen field from here. Create discrete pockets of atmosphere. If I control it manually, I can follow you through the network._"

I swallow, "Right, so we go down, and you make the air follow us by hand."

"_You wanted me pushing buttons._"

I roll my eyes. "Okay, we need to get to Ood Habitation. Work out a route."

I walk over to Toby. "How's it hanging?"

"What?"

I blink, forgetting where we are for a moment. "Old Earth slang. How's it going?"

"I don't know. The letters all seem to be swimming around my head right now." He said eyes unfocused.

I give him a small smile, "Maybe when the Devil possessed you, he left behind some of his latent dyslexia? I know I'd be horrible if I couldn't read."

He blinked at me, unsure of my joke. "How can you joke like that? At a time like this?"

"If we find humour in the darkest moments, suddenly they aren't as dark. Sorry, I've usually got better jokes." I said, sighing.

Toby frowned, "So you've been through stuff like this before."

"What? Evil megalomaniacs possessing people, turning off the lights and trying to take over the world? This is just another Tuesday." Toby actually laughed at that one.

Mister Jefferson interrupted. "We've got a route." I turned to see him open up one of the floor gratings.

All but Danny rushed to the grating. I crouch looking at him, "Danny!" I hiss.

"Hold on! Just conforming!"

Jefferson frowned. "Dan, we got to go now! Come on!"

"Yeah!" He grabs an orange computer chip, tossing it at me. I catch it, lacking the grace that most Seekers would have caught it with. "Put that in the monitor, and it's a bad time to be an Ood."

I look at all of them. "We're coming back. Have you got that? We're coming back to this room and we're getting the Doctor out."

"Okay." Jefferson nodded. "Bast, you go first, then you, Danny, then you, Miss Tyler, then Toby. I'll go last in defensive position. Now, come on, quick as you can!"

I watch the two slip down the grate, and then follow myself. I can't hold in my exclamation, "God, it stinks." I look at Danny, who seems almost catatonic. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm laughing. Which way do we go?"

"_Just straight ahead. Keep going till I say so._"

I try to keep the air light, "Not your best angle, Danny."

"Oi, stop it." Danny protested, half heartedly.

Toby laughs behind me, "I don't know, it could be worse."

"Oi!" But secretly, I'm pleased. Toby seems to be doing a bit better. Hopefully he took my words to heart about making jokes.

"_Straight on until you find junction seven point one. Keep breathing. I'm feeding you air. I've got you._" We continue crawling along in silence.

We hit the door marked 7.1. "We're at seven point one, sir." Bast commented.

"_Okay, I've got you. I'm just aerating the next section._"

Danny frowned. "Getting kind of cramped, sir. Can't you hurry up?"

"_I'm working on half-power here._"

"Stop complaining." Mister Jefferson says, watching our rear.

I repeat the message, in case Danny didn't hear it.

"I heard."

"He heard." I repeat back.

Toby added his two cents, "But the air's getting a bit thin."

"He's complaining now."

"I heard."

I sniff, a new smell floating in the air and grimace. "Danny, is that you?"

"I'm not exactly happy."

"_Just moving the air. I've got to oxygenate the next section. Now, keep calm or it's going to feel worse._"

"I've got a friend who can tell you that suffocating to death is the worst." I comment.

Danny looked at me strangely. "You can talk to the dead?"

Toby took a different approach, "You've got a friend that can't die?"

"No, he can die. He just doesn't stay dead." I comment, feeling a brief flash of guilt over Jack.

Bast laughs, "Good ol' Captain Jack."

"I take it you know him." I comment.

Bast laughs, "Rio's named after him. Was completely upset to find out that he used to be an ex-con man."

"So that's already happened to you lot then?"

Bast grins, "Yeah, mum was pissed with dad. Never seen her more angry."

"So, Rio's like your younger brother?"

Bast laughs again, "Nope, we're two parts of triplets."

"I pity your mother. Another brother or sister?"

"Sister. Her name is..."

BANG!

"I'd hate to interrupt this lovely moment," Danny started, staring down the tunnel, "But, what was that?"

There was a chorus of the question repeated, until Mister Jefferson asked the Captain.

"_The junction to Habitation Five's been opened. It must be the Ood. They're in the tunnels._"

"Well, open the gate!" Danny yelled frantically.

"_I've got to get the air in!_"

Danny practically yelled, "Just open it sir!"

I swallow, fighting the urge to panic. "Where are they? Are they close?"

"_I don't know. I can't tell. I can't see them. The computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms._"

I snarl, "Whose idea was that?!"

"Open the gate!" Danny yelled. Zach opened the gate, and we all scurried through.

"_Danny turn left. Immediate left._"

Mister Jefferson had an idea, "The Ood, sir. Can't you trap them? Cut off the air?"

"_Not without cutting off yours. Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Dan. They're catching up._"

"I'll maintain defensive position." Mister Jefferson said, stopping.

I stop and turn to him. "You can't stop!"

"Miss Tyler, that's my job. You've got your task, now see to it." He said. And in that moment, he reminded me of Moody.

"Constant vigilance, sir." He nodded.

Toby looked at me, "You heard what he said, now shift."

I give him a hard look before joining Danny at the gate to 8.2. "Eight point two. Open eight point two. Zach! Open eight point two!"

"_I've got to aerate it._"

"Open it now!"

"_I'm trying!_"

Danny starts pounding on the gate, and Bast holds him back. "Come on you idiot, that's not helping. You're just wasting air with your panic attack."

Toby yells, "Zach, get it open!"

"_Jefferson, I've got to open eight point two by closing eight point one. You've got to get past the junction. Now move. That's an order, now move! I'm going to lose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop for your dramatics._"

The gate opens, and I frown, but rush after Bast and Danny.

"_Danny, turn left and head for nine point two. That's the last one. Jefferson, you've got to more faster. John move!_"

"Mister Jefferson!" I said, trying to turn back. I didn't want to lose someone else.

"Keep going!"

Jefferson's voice comes on the comm. "_Regret to inform, sir. I was a bit slow. Not so fast, these days._"

"_I can't open eight point one, John. Not without losing air for the others._"

"_And quite right too, sir. I think I bought them a little time._"

"_There's nothing I can do John. I'm sorry._"

"_You've done enough, sir. Made a very good captain under the circumstances. May I ask, if you can't add oxygen to this section, can you speed up the process of its removal?_"

"_I don't understand. What do you mean?_"

"_Well, if I might chose the manner of my departure, sir, lack of air seems more natural than, well, let's say death by Ood. I'd appreciate it sir!_"

"_God speed, Mister Jefferson._"

"_Thank you sir._"

"_Report Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD deceased with honours. 43 K two point one._"

Danny swallows. "Zach, we're at the final junction, nine point two. And er, if my respects could be on record. He saved our lives."

"_Noted. Opening nine point two._"

The gate opens and we are faced with an Ood.

"Lower nine point two! Hurry Zach!"

"Back! Back! Back!" Danny said, trying to reverse.

Toby had to be logical. "We can't go back! The gang point's sealed off. We're stuck."

Now, I've never been one to admit defeat. I glance up. Perfect, a grate. "Come on! Up!"

I get up, and Danny and Bast follow. "Toby come on!" I stick my hand down, and I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "Toby, get out of there!"

"Help me! Oh, my God! Help me!" Toby latches on to my arm and I yank him up. I feel the presence of the Devil retreat in his head. Damn, Toby was already gone.

Danny lead the way into Ood Habitation. I lock the door when everyone is inside. I take out the orange data disk and toss it to Danny.

"Transmit!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying! I'm getting at it!"

"Danny get that thing transmitting!" I see the scanned change from basic 100 to zero in a few seconds, and hear the Ood dropping like flies in the room beyond. "You did it!"

"Yes!"

I update Zach over the comm.

"_I'm on my way._"

I head back towards the Drill room. I grab the comm, trying to talk to the Doctor and Ida.

"The comms are still down." Zach said, coming up behind me. "I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Just give me a minute."

He gives me a nod, and I take the comm again, "Doctor, are you there? Doctor, Ida, can you hear me? Are you there, Doctor?"

"_He's gone._"

I swallow, unsure. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"_He fell into the pit. And I don't know how deep it is. Miles and miles and miles._"

"But what do you mean he fell?"

"_I couldn't stop him. He said your name._"

"But this isn't supposed to happen." I whisper.

Bast comes up behind me. "Time is always in flux."

And I could feel the migraine that usually came from Bad Wolf waking up, "_Not this time. Not those times, those memories._" Bad Wolf takes over, and I pass out.

I wake to someone saying, "Captain, I think we're going to have a problem passenger."

"Keep an eye on her."

I open my eyes and see the inside of a rocket ship. "No, wait, we're not..." I trail off. Looking around.

"It's alright Rose. You're safe!"

"Let me out. I'm not going anywhere! I'm going to wait for the Doctor! Let me out!"

"And lift off! Whoo!"

I blink back tears, focusing on a goal. Get back to the Doctor. I grab the bolt gun. "Take me back to the planet. Take me back!"

Zach turns to look at me, "Or what?"

"Or I'll shoot."

"Would you, though? Would you really? Is that what your Doctor would want?" I open my mouth, staring at him, before slumping back. "Sorry, but it's too late anyway. Take a look outside. We can't turn back. This is what the Doctor would have wanted. Isn't that right?"

I swallow. Toby starts to laugh. I look at him.

"What's the joke?" Danny asks, frowning.

Toby smiles, "Just, we made it. We escaped. We actually did it."

"Not all of us." Bast comments.

Zach frowns, "We're not out of it yet. We're still the first people in history to fly away from a black hole. Toby, read me the stats."

"Gravity funnel holding, sir. Always holding. Stats at fifty three. Funnel stable at sixty five point five. Hull pressure constant. Smooth as we can, sir, all the way back home. Coordinates set for planet Earth."

My mind turns over what happened in the past few hours. "It doesn't make sense. We escaped, but there's a thousand ways it could've killed us. It could've ripped out the air, or, I don't know, burnt us, or anything. But it let us go. Why?" I swallow, not liking the next thought, "Unless it wanted us to escape?"

Toby turns to me, "Hey, Rose, do us a favour. Shut up. Almost there. We'll be beyond the reach of the black hole in forty, thirty-nine..."

* * *

"I've seen a lot of the universe. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods, and out of all that, out of the whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing, just one thing, I believe in her."

* * *

The rocket starts to shake. "What happened? What was that?" Danny cried out. I rolled my eyes.

"What's he doing? What is he doing?!" Toby yelled.

I didn't pay attention to what Zach said. Toby turned to me, but his eyes were red and his face had black symbols all over it. "**_I am the rage. And the bile and the ferocity. I am the Prince and the Fall and the enemy. I am the sin and the fear and the darkness._**" He then proceeds to breath fire. "**_I shall never die. The thought of me is forever. In the bleeding hearts of men, in their vanity and obsession and lust..._**"

I grab the bolt gun, and aim at the exterior window.

"_**Nothing shall ever destroy me. Nothing!**_"

"Go to hell." I shoot the bolt at the window and at the same time unfasten Toby's seat-belt. At the same instant, everyone suddenly develops a bubble around their head. I glance at Bast, who smiles.

"Emergency shield!" Zach yells out, and there suddenly is glass in the window again. The bubbles disappear as soon as they came. "We've lost the gravity funnel. We can't escape the black hole."

I swallow, "But we stopped him. That's what the Doctor would've done."

"Some victory. We're going in." Zach called.

"The planet's lost orbit. It's falling!" Danny called, watching out one of the side windows. "The planet's gone. I'm sorry."

"Accelerate. I did my best. But hey! The first human beings to fall inside a black hole. How about that? History."

Bast speaks up, "For the record, I'd like to point out that I'm not exactly human, nor am I an Earthling."

The shaking suddenly stops. I blink. "What happened?"

"We're turning..." Zach trails off, before restarting again, disbelief colouring his tone, "We're turning around. We're turning away!"

"_Sorry about the hijack, Captain. This is the good ship TARDIS._" I blinked back tears. "_Now first thing's first. Have you got a Rose Tyler on board?_"

"I'm here! It's me! Oh, my God! Where are you?"

"_I'm just towing you home. Gravity schmavity. My people invented black holes. Well, in fact, they did. In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and Captain? Can we do a swap? Say, if you give me Rose Tyler, I'll give you Ida Scott? How about that?_"

"She's alive!"

"Yes. Thank God."

"Fantastic!"

"_Yeah! Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be alright. I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet. Ah! Entering clear space. End of the line. Mission Closed. Hey Bast, want a ride?_"

"Sure pops."

"_I'd rather you didn't call me that._"

* * *

When I get into the TARDIS, I run to hug him. Bast leaned on the door frame, and glanced around the room.

"Zach? We'll be off now. Have a good trip home. And the next time you get curious about something.." He trails off, sighing, "Oh, what's the point? You'll just go blundering in. The human race."

"Oi, pops, I'm part human, I'll have you know." Bast commented with a grin.

"_But Doctor, what did you find down there? That creature, what was it?_" Ida asked.

"I don't know. Never did decipher that writing. But that's good. Day I know everything? Might as well stop." The Doctor grinned.

Bast frowned, "What do you think it was, really?"

"I think we beat it. That's good enough for me."

I swallow. "It said I was going to die in battle."

"Then it lied. Right, onwards, upwards."

"_Hang on though, Doctor. Neither you or Bast ever really said. You two, who are you?_"

The Doctor looks at me and grins, "Oh, the stuff of legend."


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: I apologise for the late-ish update. Things have been pretty hectic. I've got two midterms tomorrow. I also know it is NaNoWriMo, and I plan on working, but for me, it's going to start Tuesday. And (hopefully), I'll have the third chunk of this story finished by the end.

**A/N 2**: I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend. And please, if you match the criteria below, I do need someone to talk to. If you are worried about spoilers, don't be. It's all theoretical.

**NEEDED:**

Someone familiar with the early Who. Preferably Doctors 3-5. And someone with knowledge of Gallifrey. It's for another story, but I don't want to make things up, and I don't want to screw everything up. TARDIS files only has so much.

**A/N 3**: So, another new character added to the mix. And I have to say, behind Maria, Bast is one of my favourite characters. It's pronounced like the Egyptian Cat Goddess, btw. :) This is the last chapter, then the intermission. I've combined The Army of Ghosts and Journey's End. Suggestions for the name of Part three are appreciated. The Donna episodes will be coming, but in the next book. I have plans for two or three unique episodes (all of which make me giggle at how much fun I'm going to have), an episode about the Dimension Cannon, and then FOUR episodes actually from the TV Show, as well as two episodes tying everything together. :) If you have any suggestions about the story, or an idea for an episode, let me know. I'm always open for suggestions.

******Part 2**: Relearning Life and Death

**Chapter 17**: Journey's End

After swapping stories, the Doctor turned to Bast. "Alright, where to?"

"Let me just call one of my aunt's. I'm pretty sure I know where she'll be, but just want to be sure." Bast said, grinning. He disappears into the TARDIS, and the Doctor turns to me.

"How have you been?"

I give him a disbelieving grin. "You are so strange. So, we've discussed Gods and the Devil. What do Time Lords believe in?"

He ignores my question in favour of checking something on the TARDIS.

"Doctor..."

Bast comes back in grinning. "Well, we're going to Felspoon. Near the city of the hats."

"Who do you know that would be there?" The Doctor asked, frowning, but typing in the coordinates all the same.

"One of the most important women in this universe." Bast said, grinning.

We land, and Bast steps out. The Doctor and I follow, wondering who this woman could be.

"Oi!" Is all we hear before the Doctor gets slapped.

"What was that for? And who the hell are you?"

We both look at the woman, and I gasp. It was Donna Noble. Last I saw of her, she'd just pointed out the fact that my time-turner broke right before I saved her from falling off a window washer cart.

"Donna!" I call running to hug her.

"Blondie!" She says, grinning. "Are you two playing with toys again. Or is that John or David? Or have you managed to fix up B-" She get cut off by Bast.

"Aunt DeeDee, it hasn't happened to them yet. Neither of them have met you."

Donna deflates for a second. "But wait, why don't I know about this then?" She thinks for a second, "Oh, right, you probably... You're going to have to..."

I nod, understanding. "I take it we meet up again?"

She nods, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Well then, I should probably go and fix everything then, shall I?" I comment, faking a grin. I take the Doctor's hand and all but drag him back into the TARDIS, where I remove the memory of the meeting.

It was for the best.

* * *

_Planet Earth. This is where I was born. And this is where I died. For the first eleven years of my life. Nothing happened. Not ever. And then I learned magic. I fought in a war. And I won. _

_And then I became immortal. I was locked away, imprisoned for the next century. Until he came. The Doctor. A man who could change his face. And he took me away from home in his magical machine. He showed me the whole of time and space. Twice. I thought it would never end. _

"How long are you going to stay with me?"

"Forever."

_That's what I thought. But then came the army of ghosts. Then came Torchwood and another War. And that's when it all ended. This is the story of how I died. _

* * *

When the Doctor lands, he misses Jackie's flat entirely, hitting a small playground. We walk to the apartment, me holding a large rucksack and my purse. When we enter, I yell, "Mum, it's us! We're back!"

She comes out of the kitchen, reminding me an awful lot of Mrs. Weasley, "Oh, I don't know why you bother with that phone. You never use it!"

"Shut up, come here!"

We hug, her crooning out that she loves me. The Doctor tries to make his way past, but Jackie catches him. "Oh no you don't. Come here!" She plants a kiss on him. "Oh, you lovely big fella! Oh, you're all mine."

"Just, just, just put me down!" The Doctor said, trying to get away.

"Yes, you are."

I pass Jackie my rucksack and laugh at the two of them. "I've got loads of washing for you. And I got you this." I pull a small necklace out of my pocket. "It's from the market on this asteroid bazaar. It's made of, er, what's it called?" I ask turning to the Doctor. He's glancing over the living room, frowning.

"Bazoolium." I nod, and turn back to Jackie.

"Bazoolium. When it gets cold, it means it's going to rain. When it's hot, it's going to be sunny. You can use it to tell the weather." I grin.

Jackie barely notices, "I've got a surprise for you and all."

"Oh, I get her bazoolium, she doesn't even say thanks." I mutter. She ignores me.

"Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time. You always said you wished you could've met her. Who do you think it is?" Jackie asked, grinning.

I frown, "I don't know."

"Oh, go on, guess."

I give her a look, "No, I hate guessing. Just tell me."

"It's my daughter. She's on her way any minute. Right, cup of tea!" Jackie turns to the kitchen and the Doctor comes over frowning.

"She's gone mad."

The Doctor frowns. "You didn't tell me you had a sister."

"She died. About a year and a half before I met you. Oh, my God. She's lost it." I walk into the kitchen, frowning, "Mum? What you just said about her."

Jackie grins, "Any second now."

"But she's gone. I saw her body. You identified her. Do you remember that?"

Jackie gives me a look, "Of course I do."

"Then how can she come back?" I give her a look.

Jackie gives me one right back, "Why don't you ask her yourself? Ten past. Here she comes." And then a humanoid shape walks through the outside wall and stands beside Jackie.

I swallow, watching the image.

"Here we are then. Dear, say hello to her. I told you all about her."

The Doctor and I run out of the room, out to the balcony. The Doctor exclaims first, "They're everywhere!"

"Doctor look out!" One of the shapes walks straight through him. Judging by his face, it doesn't look like a comfortable sensation.

Jackie's followed us outside. "They haven't got long. Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade."

"What do you mean, shift?" I frown, "Since when do 'ghosts' have shifts? Since when did shifts have ghosts?! What's going on?!" I call out, watching them.

Jackie laughs, "Oh, neither of you two are happy when I know more than you, are you?"

"But no one's running or screaming or freaking out." The Doctor said, frowning.

Jackie frowned, "Why should we? Here we go. Twelve minutes past." The images vanish.

We go back up to the apartment, and the Doctor turns on the telly. On every channel there is something about ghosts.

"What the hell's going on?" The Doctor asked, frustrated. "It's all over the world."

I take the remote from him, and flick the telly off. I turn to Jackie, "When did it start?"

"Well, first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down-"

The Doctor cuts her off. "No, worldwide Jackie. Big picture."

"Oh." Jackie frowned, thinking back. "That was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were. Ghosts, everywhere. We all ran round screaming and that. Whole planet was panicking. No sign of either of you, thank you very much. Then it sort of sank in. It took us time to realize that we're lucky."

I swallow, "And what makes you think it's _her_?"

"It just feels like her." She said, recalling fondly. "It just feels, right. Don't get me wrong, sweetie, you're wonderful, but..."

"I understand."

Jackie frowns, "Can't you feel it?"

"I wish I could." I swallow, "But I can't."

"You've got to make an effort. You've got to want it, sweetheart."

The Doctor frowned, "The more you want it, the stronger it gets."

"Sort of, yeah." Jackie agreed cautiously.

"Like a psychic link. Of course you want your daughter to be alive, but you're wishing him into existence. The ghost are using that to pull themselves in." The Doctor explained, before frowning.

Jackie blinked, her eyes going glossy. "You're spoiling it."

"I'm sorry, Jackie, but there is no feeling. Just a memory." The Doctor added sadly. "Believe me, I'd love to meet Rose's sister.

I glance at him. "So, not ghosts then. What are they?"

"Yeah, but they're human! You can see them. They look human." Jackie said, frowning.

The Doctor frowned. "Maybe not. They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. What did you say a while back? With the Gelth?"

"A footprint doesn't look like a boot."

* * *

The Doctor is under some gratings in the TARDIS, and I'm flicking through the paper. "According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds. Now don't tell me you're going to sit back and do nothing."

He jumps up wearing a backpack and holding some sort of hose thing. He grins at me, "Who you going to call?"

I laugh, "Ghostbusters!"

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts."

He exits and sets something up. "Definitely not the Gelth then?"

"Nah. They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper." The Doctor said, fiddling with the backpack.

Jackie frowned, "You're always doing this. Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real? Just think of it, though. All the people we've lost. Our families coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?"

I look at her. "I think it's horrific."

The Doctor jumps up and goes to plug something into the TARDIS. Jackie and I follow. The Doctor gives me some instructions.

He goes back outside, and Jackie frowns. "You even look like him."

"How do you mean?" I ask, frowning. "I suppose I do, yeah."

"You've changed so much."

I swallow, "For the better."

"I suppose."

I give her a look, "I used to work in a shop."

"I've worked in shops. What's wrong with that?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know what you meant." Jackie sighs. "What happens when I'm gone?"

I give her a look. "Don't talk like that."

"No, but really. When I'm dead and buried, you won't have any reason to come back home. What happens then?"

"I don't know."

"Do you ever think you'll settle down?"

"I was locked away for a century. I think I'm allowed to be a little free. I'll just keep on travelling."

"And you'll keep on changing. And in forty years time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman, walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. But she's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human."

"I never was Rose Tyler to begin with, and yes, I've never really been completely human, at least the way you view the world."

"Here we go!" The Doctor yells, and I glance down at the scanner.

"The scanner's working. It says delta one six."

The Doctor mutters something.

He runs into the TARDIS, shutting the doors. "I said so! Those ghosts have been forced into existence from one specific point, and I can track down the source. Allons-y!" He flicks a couple switches and continues to talk about his new catchphrase. "I like that. Allons-y! I should say allons-y more often. Allons-y. Watch out Rose Tyler. Allons-y! And then, it would be really brilliant if I met someone called Alonso, because then I could say allons-y Alonso, everytime. You're staring at me." He looked at me.

I give him a smile. "My mum's still on board."

She yells down. "If we end up on Mars, I'm going to kill you."

We land, and the Doctor and I watch the exterior on the scanner. People with guns. Lots of guns.

"Oh, well, there goes the advantage of surprise. Still, cuts to the chase. Stay here, look after Jackie."

I glare at him, "I'm not looking after my mum."

"Well, you brought her." He gives me a look.

Jackie interrupts us, "I was kidnapped!"

I walk up to him, and look at him. "Doctor, they've got guns."

"And I haven't." He said, grinning, "Which makes me the better person, don't you think? They can shoot me dead, but the moral high ground is mine."

I watch what's happening through a little gap in the doors. And then a hand comes in, and he pulls out Jackie. "But here she is, Rose Tyler." He blinks, and I'm going to bust a stitch holding in my laughter at his face. "Hmm. She's not the best I've ever had. Bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. A lot of that. And just last week, she stared into the heart of the Time Vortex and aged fifty seven years. But she'll do."

"I'm forty." Jackie said, unimpressed.

"Deluded. Bless. I'll have to trade her in. Do you need anyone? She's very good at tea. Well, I say very good, I mean not bad. Well, I say not bad. Anyway, lead on. Allons-y. But not too fast. Her ankle's going."

They get lead away and I sigh. "I know you understand me. And we both know, no matter what I want, I'm going to be leaving soon. I'd like to record one of those holo-vid projection things that he did to me. If you could."

* * *

I walk out of the TARDIS with my purse and psychic paper in hand. I 'borrow' a lab coat, and walk towards somewhere. I end up outside a laboratory, where I manage to use the psychic paper to get in. Inside the room is a large, perfectly spherical ball.

"Can I help you?"

A voice startles me out of staring at the ball. "I was just..."

"Try not to look. It does that to everyone. What do you want?"

I blink, looking at him, "Sorry. They sent me from personnel. They said some man had been taken prisoner. Some sort of Doctor? I'm just checking the lines of communication. Did they tell you anything?"

"Can I see your authorization?"

"Sure." I hand him the psychic paper, and cross my fingers behind my back. Hopefully this guy wasn't another Shakespeare.

He blinks, and takes off his glasses. "That's lucky. You see, everyone at Torchwood has at least a basic level of psychic training. This paper is blank, and you're a fake. Seal the room. Call security. Samuel, can you check the door locks? She just walked right in." He turns away, and I glance at the guy who turns. I almost choke on my spit. It's Mickey. He gives me a thumbs up.

"Doing it right now, sir."

"Well, if you'd like to take a seat." The head scientist said. At least he was polite about it.

And then everything turned to chaos. Apparently a ghost shift was happening, and the sphere suddenly became 'active'. I didn't like the sound of that at all.

"The door's sealed. Automatic quarantine. We can't get out!" The head scientist kind of reminded me of Danny a little bit. Maybe he's an ancestor or something?

Mickey comes up next to me. "It's alright, Ria. We've beaten them before, we can beat them again. That's why I'm here. The fight goes on."

"Cybermen?" I ask, and he nods. "And you called me Ria?"

"I figure, he calls you Mia, and technically you're also Rose, so, Ria."

I sigh, "Just don't let him hear you calling me that. What happened?"

"We had them beaten, but then they escaped. The Cybermen just vanished. They found a way through to this world, but so did we." Mickey said.

I swallow, "The Doctor said that was impossible."

"Yeah, it's not the first time he's been wrong."

I swallow again. "What's inside that sphere?"

"No one knows. Cyber Leader, Cyber King, Emperor of the Cybermen. Whatever it is, he's dead meat." He grins.

I laugh. "It's good to see you."

"Yeah. It's good to see you too."

The head scientist, Mickey called him Rajesh, was still freaked out. "Can anyone hear me? Come on, I need help down here! I need-"

The sphere starts opening. "Here we go." Mickey said, removing his coat and ear piece. "I know what's in there, and I'm ready for them. I've got just the thing." He takes a massive gun from under the platform below the sphere. "This is going to blast them to Hell."

"Samuel, what are you doing?"

"The name's Mickey. Mickey Smith. Defending the Earth."

The sphere disappears, leaving five pepperpots leftover.

"That's not Cybermen."

I gasp, "Oh god."

"_Location, Earth. Life forms detected. Exterminate!_"

The Daleks are coming towards us. I think quickly.

"The Cult of Skaro. Daleks. You're called Daleks, but more specifically your called the Cult of Skaro. I know your name. Think about it, how can I know that? A human who knows about the Daleks and the Time War. If you want to know how, then keep us alive. That's all I'm asking. Me and my friends." I talk fast.

Mickey nods, "Yeah, Daleks. Time War. Me too."

"Yeah, and me."

Dalek Sec (which was strange to see, I kept expecting to see him in human form) agreed, "_You will be necessary. Report. What is the status of the Genesis Ark?_"

"_Status, Hibernation._"

"_Commence awakening. The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else._"

Mickey comes and whispers in my ear, "The Daleks, you said they were all dead."

"Never mind that. What the hell's a Genesis Ark?"

"_Which of you is least important?_"

I give him a look, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"_Which of you is least important?_"

"No, we don't work like that. None of us."

"_Designate the least important!_"

Rajesh came out and stepped forward. "This is my responsibility."

"Don't." I hissed.

He ignored me. "I, er, I represent the Torchwood Institute. Anything you need, you come through me. Leave these two alone."

"_You will kneel._"

He frowned, "What for?"

"_Kneel._" He does as told. "_The Daleks need information about current Earth history._"

"Yeah, well, I can give you a certain amount of intelligence but nothing that will compromise Homeland security."

"_Speech is not necessary. We will extract brainwaves._" They begin using their plungers to creep closer to Rajesh. I turned away, knowing what was going to happen.

"Don't! I – I'll tell you everything you need. No. No!" He screams.

His screams cut off, and the Daleks pull back. A dusty corpse falls to the floor. "_His mind spoke of a second species invading Earth infected by the superstition of ghosts._"

I glared, "You didn't need to kill them."

"_Neither did we need him alive._"

"_Dalek Thay, investigate outside._"

"_I obey._"

After a few moments, their is a view screen appears where the sphere was.

"_Identify yourselves._"

"_You will identify first._"

"_State your identity._"

"_You will identify first_."

"_Identify!_"

Mickey whispered in my ear, "It's like Stephen Hawkins meets the Speaking Clock."

"_Daleks do not take orders._"

"_You have been identified as Daleks._"

"_Outline resembles the inferior species known as cybermen._"

"_We followed in the wake of your sphere._"

"_Long range scans confirm the presence of crude cybernetic constructs on worldwide scale._"

My phone rings, and I answer it.

"_We must protect the Genesis Ark._"

"_Our species are similar, through your design is inelegant._"

We watched as the cybermen proposed an alliance with the Daleks. We also saw the Daleks shoot down the cybermen (literally).

The cyberleader contacts the Daleks directly, and I get a glimpse of the Doctor.

"_Wait! Rewind image by nine rells. Identify grid seven gamma frame. This male registers as enemy._"

"_The female's heartbeat has increased._"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Mickey commented. I elbowed him.

"_Identify him._"

I give Mickey an evil grin before turning to the Daleks. "Alright then. If you really want to know, that's the Doctor. And I'm Balfowd." The Dalek rolls back a little bit. "Five million Cybermen easy. One Doctor, one Balfowd? Now you're scared."

"_Cyber threat irrelevant. Concentrate on the Genesis Ark._"

"Why are we being kept alive?" Mickey asked.

I swallowed. "They might need me."

"What? What is it?" Mickey asked, looking at my face. He frowns, "I could transport out of here but it only carries one, and I'm not leaving you."

I give him a smile. "You'd follow me anywhere. What did I do to you all those years ago?"

"Guess I'm just stupid."

I laugh, "We're Gryffindors. Stupid, brave, foolhardy. That's us. You're one of the bravest men I've ever met."

"What about the Doctor?"

I laugh, "The Doctor's courageous. You're brave."

"Well, I can't think what the Daleks need with me. I'm nothing to them."

I look around the room, "I've met up with this group before. It caused the Doctor and I to talk about his war, and mine. When you travel in time in the TARDIS, you soak up all this background radiation. It's harmless. It's just there. But in the Time War, the Daleks evolved so they could use it as a power supply."

"I love it when you talk technical." Mickey said with a grin.

I give him a weak glare, "Shut up. If the Daleks have got something inside that thing, and it needs waking up."

"So they need you."

"I can protect myself. And besides, you've travelled in time. Either one of us would do."

Mickey frowned at that knowledge. "But why would they build something they can't open themselves?"

"_The technology is stolen. The Ark is not of Dalek design._"

I swallow, looking into the eyestalk. "Then who built it?"

"_The Time Lords. This is all that survives of their Home World._"

"You know, I'm pretty sure you'd be surprised how wrong you are."

"_Final stage of awakening._"

"_Your handprint will open the Ark._"

I give them a look. "Well tough, because I'm not doing it."

"_Obey or the male will die._"

"Obviously you don't know the legends of Balfowd."

Mickey looked a little ill, "Ria, don't."

"_Place your hand upon the casket._"

"If you escaped the Time War, don't you want to know what happened?"

"_Place your hand-_"

"What happened to the Emperor?" I asked with a devious grin.

"_The Emperor survived?_"

I gave a dark grin to the Daleks, working a little magic enough to put up a glamour of 'Mia'. Got to keep the timelines in check, right? "Till he met me. Because if these are going to be my last words, then you're going to listen. I met the Emperor, and I took the Time Vortex and I pulled it into his head and turned him into dust. Do you get that? The God of all Daleks, and I destroyed him. Ha!" I dropped the glamour.

"_You will be exterminated!_"

The Doctor runs into the room, wearing old-fashioned 3D spectacles. "Oh now, hold on, wait a minute."

"_Alert. Alert. You are the Doctor._"

"_Sensors report he is unarmed._"

"That's me, always."

"_Then you are powerless._"

"Not me. Never." He turns to Mickey and I, "How are you?"

I give him a smile, "Oh, same old. You know."

"Good. And Mickity McMickey. Nice to see you!"

"And you boss."

"_Social interaction will cease!_"

"_How did you survive the Time War?_"

"By fighting. On the front line. I was there are the fall of Arcadia. Someday I might even come to terms with that. But you lot ran away!"

"_We had to survive._"

"The last four Daleks in existence. So, what's so special about you?" The Doctor asked, looking at them.

I frown. "They called themselves the Cult of Skaro. They have names."

Mickey frowned, "Wait didn't you-" I stepped on his foot, which shut him up. I levelled a glare at him once the Doctor's back was turned.

The Daleks introduced themselves. And then Mickey had a question, "Who are they?"

"A secret order above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine, think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names. All to find new ways of killing." The Doctor said, darkly.

"But that thing, they said it was yours. I mean, Time Lords. They built it. What does it do?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor did a scan of it with his screwdriver. "I don't know. Never seen it before."

"But it's Time Lord." Mickey protested.

The Doctor frowned, but I answered, "Both sides of a war are allowed to have secrets."

"What is it? What have you done?"

"_Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy._"

I frown, "What does that mean? What sort of Time Lord science? What do you mean?"

"They said one touch from a time traveller will wake it up." Mickey commented.

The Doctor's face went a little darker, "Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do. Touch. Sealed inside your casing. Not feeling anything ever, from birth to death, locked inside a cold metal cage. Completely alone. That explains your voice. No wonder you scream."

"_The Doctor will open the Ark!_"

The Doctor laughed, "The Doctor will not."

"_You have no way of resisting._"

"Well, you got me there. Although there is always this." He said, pulling out his sonic.

The Dalek scanned it, "_A sonic probe?_"

"That's screwdriver."

"_It is harmless._"

"Oh, yes. Harmless is just the word. That's why I like it. Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I'll tell you what it does do. It is very good at opening doors." He clicks the switch, and the door to the lab blows in. I get a brief glimpse of Jake and a Cyberman before I duck for cover.

We manage to get out of there, but not before Mickey accidentally touches the ark.

"Jake, check the stairwell. The rest of you, come on." The Doctor said.

Mickey looked horrified. "I jut fell, I didn't mean it!"

The Doctor stopped, looked Mickey in the eyes and said, "Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force. To do that, they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a favour. Now, run!"

We run, catching up with Pete. And Jackie. There is a very touching reunion between them (or, I suppose meeting).

We end up crouching outside a warehouse. "What are they doing? Why do they need to go outside?"

"Time Lord science. What Time Lord science? What is it?"

I swallow, thinking of something, "Doctor, the thing is pretty small, and if they need to go outside to open it then..."

"It's bigger on the inside." The Doctor finished, eyes widening. We run upstairs again.

We get up just in time to see the ship open. "Did the Time Lords put the Daleks in there? What for?"

I swallow, "Probably a prison ship."

"How many?" Pete asked.

The Doctor swallowed. "Millions."

Pete frowned, "I'm sorry, but you've had it. This world's going to crash and burn. There's nothing we can do. We're going home." He takes a yellow medallion from one of the others. "Jacks, take this. You're coming with us."

"But they're destroying the city." Jackie argued.

Pete laughed, "I'd forgotten you could argue. It's not just London. It's the whole world. But there's another world just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe as long as the Doctor closes the breach. Doctor?"

The Doctor turns around, still wearing his glasses. "Oh, I'm ready. I've got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood." He runs over to a computer terminal. "Slam it down and close off both universes."

"_Reboot systems._"

I give him a look, "But we can't just leave. What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?"

"They're part of the problem, and that makes them part of the solution. Oh yes! Well?" He pauses, frowning, "Isn't anyone going to ask what is it with the glasses?"

I roll my eyes at his antics, "What is it with the glasses?"

"I can see, that's what. Because we've got two separate worlds, but in between the worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void. Oh, I like that. Via the Void. Look." He passes the glasses to me. "I've been through it. Do you see?"

I look through them, and see particles floating around him. I glance at my hand. More particles. "What is it?"

"Void stuff."

I nod, "Like background radiation."

"That's it. Look at the others. And the only one who hasn't been through the Void, your mother. First time she's looked normal all in her life."

"Oi!"

"But the Daleks lived inside the Void. They're bristling with it. Cybermen, all of them. I just open the Void and reverse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."

I nod, "Pulling them all in!"

He echos me. Mickey frowns. "Sorry, what's the Void?"

"The dead space. Some people call it Hell."

Mickey laughs, "So, you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell. Man, I told you he was good."

"But it's like you said. We've all got Void stuff. Me too, because we went to that parallel world. We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in."

The Doctor frowned, "That's why you've got to go." He looks at me, "Back to Pete's world. Hey, we should call it that. Pete's world. I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."

"And then you close it for good?" Pete cuts in.

The Doctor nods. "The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff. In the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput."

I look at him, "But you stay on this side?"

"But you'll get pulled in." Mickey protested.

"That's why I got these." He holds up a megaclamp. "I'll just have to hold on tight. I've been doing it all my life."

I give him a look. "I'm supposed to go."

"Yeah."

"To another world, and then it gets sealed off."

"Yeah."

"Forever." He nods, I snarl, "That's not going to happen." The building shakes.

Pete sighs, "We haven't got time to argue. The plan works. We're going. You too. All of us."

"No, I'm not leaving here." I say turning to Pete.

Jackie glares, "I'm not going without her."

"Oh, my God. We're going!"

Jackie hisses, "I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her."

"You've got to." I say, looking at Jackie.

She glares at me, "Well, that's tough."

"Mum." I give her a look. "I've had a life with you, but then I met the Doctor, and all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us. For the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum. But not anymore, because now he's got me." I feel something go around my neck, and I turn and see the Doctor place a medallion on me. "What're you-"

And then I get sucked through universes.

I snarl, glaring at everyone, and pound the button, muttering, "Oh, no, you don't He's not doing that to me again."

The Doctor honestly looks surprised to see me. "Once the breach collapses, that's it. You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!"

I glare at him, "I made my choice long ago, and I'm not going to leave you." I swallow, I'll chew him out later for sending me back against my will. "So what can I do to help?"

He grits his teeth. "Those coordinates over there, set them all to six. And hurry up."

I go to the terminal and remove the medallion. I glance at the security feeds. "We've got cybermen on the way up."

"How many floors down?"

I swallow, "Just one."

The computer intoned that the levers we operational.

"That's more like it. Bit of a smile. The old team."

He laughs, "Hope and Glory. Mutt and Jeff. Shiver and Shake."

"Which one's Shiver?" I ask, grinning.

He laughs, handing me a magnaclamp. "Oh, I'm Shake." We put them on the walls. "Press the red button."

I do as told.

"When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us, but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff. Are you ready?"

I swallow, looking out the window, "So are they."

"Let's do it!" We push the levers then grab the clamps.

"_Online._"

"The breach is open. Into the Void! Ha!"

"_Offline._"

The suction starts slowing. I let go of the clamp and grab the lever, Pulling it until it's locked.

"Rose, hold on! Hold on!" The Doctor yells. My feet rise off the ground and I get a bit of vertigo. My fingers start slipping. I see the Doctor reaching for me, but them I feel my fingers loose purchase on the lever. I see him, I see his face. He's horrified. Arms wrap around me, and then I collapsed into the wall.

I was saved.

But I was on the wrong side.


	19. Intermission 2

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: I apologise for the late-ish update. Things have been pretty hectic. I've got two midterms tomorrow. See below for more info...

**A/N 2**: I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend. And please, if you match the criteria below, I do need someone to talk to. If you are worried about spoilers, don't be. It's all theoretical.

**NEEDED:**

Someone familiar with the early Who. Preferably Doctors 3-5. And someone with knowledge of Gallifrey. It's for another story, but I don't want to make things up, and I don't want to screw everything up. TARDIS files only has so much.

**A/N 3**: The next section of the Book is officially named _Count Them_. (I swear it has nothing to do with the Library Episode, and no counting shadows... Although now that I think about it, that might be fun...) The next book's title has been officially released as well, _Trails of a Time Mage_, as well as it's companion book from the Doctor's point of view, _Tales of a Time Lord_. (I love alliteration, if you haven't noticed.) The Donna episodes will be coming, but in the next book. I have plans for two or three unique episodes (all of which make me giggle at how much fun I'm going to have), an episode about the Dimension Cannon, and then FOUR episodes actually from the TV Show, as well as two episodes tying everything together. :) If you have any suggestions about the story, or an idea for an episode, let me know. I'm always open for suggestions.

**A/N 4**: Alright, so I am finally giving you what happened after the end of the last book, with the Doctor and Donna. This is more of an information about everything else chapter, as the chapter itself isn't very long. The story should continue in the new year. Possibly before then. I've just been loaded down with working and studying and (somehow) managing to start having a social life. And the part's that I am writing I really want to do justice. Because they make me laugh hard, and I want that to come across. The story will obviously become a little bit more darker. For future not, please let me know if I need to explain any of my reasonings. Because some of them might be a little skewed.

**A/N 5**: Okay, so, there have been some questions about Maria's children. There is Jenny. And then there are the Triplets. Judging by all the information that's been given about the characters, I really want someone to guess what the next kid's name is. If they guess correctly, they'll get something (I have no idea what yet, but I want to see if anyone can get it).

**Intermission 2**: Doctor and Donna

"_Doctor._" The hologram said.

The Doctor swallowed, eyes fixed on the blurry image of Rose Tyler in front of him. Donna blinks, frowning at the image. "Who's that then?" She asks, eyes flickering back and forth between the image of the blonde and the Doctor.

"Rose." The Doctor whispered.

The hologram forces a smile, "_Well, this is Emergency Program Nine Dash Gamma. Doctor, if your seeing this, it means that I am gone. I'm not sure how it happened. I hope it was after living to a ripe old age with you, but life isn't that fair._"

The Doctor watched her closely, taking in the image he hadn't seen for about two years. "_Or maybe you got tired of me or something. Anyway, I asked the TARDIS to make sure that she showed this when you needed it the most. When you needed hope the most._

"_And I am here to tell you to find someone. Anyone. You shouldn't be alone in this big machine. It's not good for you._"

Donna snorted, "See, told you."

"_I can't tell who's going to be there with you. I'm sure I know someone who'd be flattered if Donna Noble was the one there._"

Both physical inhabitants of the TARDIS gaped at the hologram, who laughed.

"_Sorry, I'm picturing both of your faces. I really wish I was there. For more than one reason. Anyway, I should probably be going. Got to go save your arse Doctor. You just got captured by this group called Torchwood. _

"_And I swear, if I left you not of my own free will, I will find you again. Mark my words._"

She pauses, debating whether to say something, "_I love you. Doesn't matter what you've done, or what you'll do, I love you._"

The image flickered for a moment, before dying.

The room was quiet for a few minutes, before Donna broke it. "So that was Rose."

"Yeah."

"I like her. She reminds me a bit of Mia."

"Yeah."


	20. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: Alright ladies and gents, drum roll please:

DUN DUN NA NA!

I'm back. And so is Jack. Because who can resist the amazing ex-Time Agent.

Back to me. I'm a few weeks later than promised, but back none the less. This is the last section of this book, before I begin the next book. I offer no promises for when the next book comes out.

**A/N 2**: I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend.

**A/N 3**: Alright, we get really, really, really dark at the beginning of the chapter, but it is warranted. Don't hesitate to ask questions.

******Part** **3**:Count Them

**Chapter 18**: The End of the Line

It broke me.

The second I pushed that button, and nothing happened, it broke me. I could feel the cracks growing in size. I pounded on the switch. Over and over again. It wasn't working. I pounded on the wall.

"Bring me back!" I yell, sobbing. Nothing was working.

I threw myself at the wall. A memory flooded back, of me doing the same thing almost five years ago, or even a little bit in the future.

Nothing was working. "No! No! Bring me back!"

I could feel the tears falling down my face. I was sobbing, and my screams were turning more and more unintelligible.

I don't know how, but I end up in a room a few hours later. The pillow is still wet from my tears. I must have cried while sleeping.

I dreamt that he came back, that he found a way. And when I woke up, nothing.

I dreamt that he purposefully wouldn't, that I would be stuck here. And when I woke up, I was still here.

No matter the outcome of the dream or nightmare, it always started a fresh wave of tears.

Within the first week of being stuck, I'd managed to get a hold of the potion to end the dreams and the nightmares. The Dreamless Sleep Potion. Although, there were nights when the dreams and the nightmares were indistinguishable.

I took it nightly. By the end of the second week, I was having a full eight hours sleep. Way more than I'd normally had when on the TARDIS. More than I should have.

By the end of the first month of being in the alternate universe, I'd ended up sleeping almost 12 hours a night.

By the end of the second month, my nightly total was almost 16 hours.

I knew I was worrying Jackie, Mickey and Pete, but I didn't care. It was too much. I'd lost too much. First the war, then the Freak Show, then the Master, then this. I'd been running for far too long.

* * *

I doubt I should have been surprised when she walked into the room, but I was.

It was one of the rare hours I actually was awake, and she'd just strolled in like she owned the place, sat down at the foot of my bed and looked at me.

I stared at her. Hermione Jane Granger. The one who got the better life. The one who didn't have everything taken from her.

"Jackie called me." She started, watching me closely.

I continue to stare at her, still wrapped up in the covers.

She continued, "No idea how she even got my number, but she called, telling me she was worried about you."

"Probably from Harry or something." I comment, turning to lie on my side, facing away from her.

"Not even going to comment on the fact that everyone downstairs is worried about you."

"What's the point? They should be."

She snorts, but it's void of humour. "You know, I actually thought that we were alike. Obviously, outside of the fact that you got contacted by the Flamel's and our middle name, we're more different that I thought. You're weak."

I ignore her, knowing she was just trying to get a rise out of me.

"I mean, sure, you've been through a bit. Everyone has. But rather than try and prove them all wrong, like you've done before, you're just letting them win."

"What's the point of fighting anymore?" I question her, "I've got nothing left to live for."

She stays quiet for a moment. "What's the point in fighting? Obviously you can't do it. You're just a woman. You're a pathetic mudblood who shouldn't even have magic. You're a freak."

"No, I'm not." I whisper, shutting my eyes, in hopes that she would stop.

"Then prove it to me. Where the hell did that girl go? The one that was going to prove herself. The one that proved that a girl could do any science a boy could do. The one that proved that even though she was a mudblood, she was more powerful than any pureblood. The one who fought for house elf sufferage, and werewolf rights. The one who found the lost Chamber of Secrets. The one who took on Voldemort with her friends and won. Where did she go?"

"She got locked away. She got stuck having people try and kill her for forty years straight, only to have them disappear one day. She got stuck there, still covered in blood, listening to everyone die, while she never would. She watched her best friend die." I swallow. "She's been gone for a lot longer than everyone seems to think."

"I doubt she's gone. She's fought to get back to the Doctor. She changed her DNA."

"But what is there left to fight for. Everything is gone. Everything is going to die."

Her voice get's louder. "What is there to fight for? Yes, everything is going to die. Congratulations for figuring that out. But everything was always going to die. No matter what. And yet you still fought. Yes, everything is going to die. But you ought to fight for the chance for it to live first."

I stay quiet, unsure how to answer than comment.

"If the reason why you don't want to fight is because you're suddenly on the other side of the void from him, then that's pathetic. If he's what you base your sense of worth on, you don't even deserve to be called a woman. If he's all that matters, then I doubt you actually went through what you claim. You're just another attention seeking ditz who wants a man to protect her and take care of her. You -"

"Shut up." I whispered. It got out without me thinking.

"What? Shut up? Stop telling you the truth? Stop telling you that the only thing you've got is a pretty face and a warm hole-"

"Shut the fuck up." I yell, rising up and looking her dead in the eye. "You've only been through a sliver of what I have, don't even try and tell me that I've been fucking faking it."

She grins. "Suddenly we've got some of the old fire. So tell me, what happened to that girl who used to prove the impossible? The one that found the Chamber of Secrets. The one who survived the cruciatus for extended periods of time. The one who managed to create the Philosopher's stone. The one who can defy the laws of physics. The one who took the Time Vortex into her mind and actually survived it. What happened to the girl who ate impossibilities for breakfast?"

"I know what you're trying to do."

She gives me a look. "Really, because if you knew, you wouldn't even be here right now."

"Then what are you trying to do?"

"Just point out this, if you've continually disproved everyone's opinions of impossible, why is the Doctor labelling going across the void suddenly completely different than the impossibility of the Chamber of Secrets?"

I opened my mouth to retort, and then thought. I snapped it shut, and Hermione looked smug. I glared at her.

"I think it's time for you to do what you do best. Prove them wrong."

* * *

After our (most polite people would call it a discussion, but there wasn't discussing, just bribery, blackmail and insults) talk, Hermione took anything I could use to create the potion, cauldrons and all, from my room, and from then on, I was assigned a babysitter, until further notice.

Mickey was first on the spike.

"So then Ria, what's the plan?" He said, walking into the room and sitting down on the desk chair.

I blink at him. "I've been off an addicting potion for less than an hour, and you think I already have a plan?"

"Dunno. Hermione kinda just walked in and immediately had one." Mickey commented, shrugging.

I give him a look. "Are you making the assumption that we are the same?"

"No," Mickey backtracked, frowning, "Just, never worked with you, the real you. Figured, Ricky and I were kinda similar. You two might be too."

I nodded. "I don't know what I plan on doing. Try not to become depressed I suppose? It's not exactly like I've had a long time to think about this."

"Well, what do you do normally when somethin' like this happens?"

"Go to the library, but I feel that might be lacking in this instance." I comment, giving him a grin. He smiles.

"Well then, what would you do instead?" He asked, watching me closely.

I swallow thinking a moment. "I don't know if I want to focus on finding my way back yet. I mean, I barely know who I am."

"But you've always liked research right? Wouldn't that help? And if you're focusing on something that's important to you..."

I frown, thinking over his words, "I suppose, I'd start with the theory behind the dimension hoppers that you lot had."

Mickey frowns. "As much as I'd like to, I can't give you that info. It's Torchwood classified."

"Pete's in charge of Torchwood, I mean, he could give me that info, right?"

* * *

Wrong.

Pete couldn't. It was 'too classified' for non-Torchwood personnel. He then proceeded to offer me a job, in research and identifying alien artifacts. There would be the possibility of having my own desk, and going out in the field.

I refused.

I was still attempting to adjust to this world. I'd rather not have to become a bureaucrat in the same (or rather parallel) version of the reason why I was here in the first place.

So, I ended up staying at home for most of the time. Jackie was watching me like a hawk, given as she drew the babysitting straw. "What are you going to do with yourself sweetheart?"

I swallow, frowning. "No idea."

"Why not work at Torchwood?"

"They're the reason I'm here."

This conversation happened at least twenty times in the first week off the potion. Or at least variations of it. I was cranky, so it normally was ruder.

During the second week, Mickey stopped by for dinner every night. Sometimes Jake joined him. They got in the habit of telling me every little detail about their day. Their adventures, what they saw, what they did. It made me miss having adventures, almost enough to join Torchwood. Almost.

The third week, Jackie kicked me out (or rather we 'went out') and got me to apply for every shop position out there. When I complained, Jackie always shot back, "Well, what are you going to do then, while your here? You're going to need money." It annoyed me enough to almost accept Pete's job offer. Almost.

The fourth week, Pete had taken to leaving things around the house. Alien things. Figuring out what they did was fun. It entertained me enough to reconsider working for Torchwood.

It was enough.

* * *

Mickey was recounting his experience with the Weevels at dinner, when I pushed my chair back and stood up. It screeched across the floor, making everyone pause and turn to me.

"Enough!" I yelled.

Mickey frowned, "What's the matter Ria? Thought you liked my stories?"

"That's it. I've had enough with the stories, and the sending out resumes to shops and the leaving alien things around the house. I don't care how you do it, but I am going to start at Torchwood on Monday. I expect all the files even so much as remotely relating to the dimension cannon better be on my desk. I hope you lot are happy. I'm going to eat somewhere else, without manipulative people!" I said storming out of the room.

I sat out on the front porch, plate on my knees, trying to eat whatever it was in the shivering cold. As I figured, Mickey followed me out first. "You know, I didn't like it."

I didn't turn around, but I figured he was leaning on the door frame. "Of course not. It was Hermione's plan, wasn't it?"

"How'd you figure?" He shifted, and came to sit beside me.

I turn to look at him, "No offence, but you and Jackie barely know the me that isn't pretending to be Rose."

"You know, I doubt that you really know where you end and Rose begins." He commented, looking up at the sky.

I swallow. "Hell, I barely even know who Hermione is anymore."

"What'd you mean?"

I look up at the sky, mentally comparing the two parallel skies in my head. "I was locked away for so long that I actually forgot all of my memories. I got them back through a spell. But a person isn't made up of memories. Memories are only apart of that. I chose to act like the old Hermione would act. I don't know who I am. Remember the Doctor after he'd regenerated?" At his nod, I continued, "He didn't know who he was. Neither do I. Hell, I've got so many different names, I don't even know what to call myself." I look at him, "I don't know what to do."

"Well, I can't says I've got any experience, being another person. Outside of, you know, being Ricky. But I don't think that counts." He gives me a grin, and I give him a weak one back. "But I think you need to stop labelling what you are and what you aren't. You aren't Rose Tyler. And you definitely aren't Hermione Granger anymore. You're some kind of mix of both."

I give him a look, "So what, should I chose a new Shakespeare name on account of Hermione, and a new flower to call myself, in honour of Rose?"

"Naw. What about just calling yourself Ria?" Mickey suggested. "I mean, that's kind of what you are, a mixture of the too. Mia and Rose; Ria."

I think it over, "And who is this Ria?"

"I dunno. I don't work miracles." He said with a grin, "Think of it as puberty and finding yourself all over again."

I laugh, "Hopefully this time puberty isn't so deadly."

* * *

As I demanded, I started work on Monday. On my desk was all the files I asked for, along with the nameplate 'Ria Tyler'. I was mostly left alone by the rest of Torchwood, but stared at. Mickey stopped by on occasion, when he wasn't working in the field. I divided my time between figuring out alien technology, and attempting to understand the theory behind the dimension cannon.

After the first month of working, people started talking to me, treating me like I wasn't some form of freak. I avoided the medical centres, knowing that they would have a field day if I ever accidentally walked in front of a scanner. I still had two hearts, and a slew of other organs that I had no idea of. And I was still pregnant.

No idea how, but apparently, even though I have a brand new body that shouldn't have ever gotten impregnated, it still is. I talked to Hermione and Ginny about that. Between the three of us, our best guess is that when I regenerated, my magic recognized the baby, and somehow brought it through the process.

I started out working under a few people, just to get the understanding of how Torchwood worked. In the first week alone I learnt more about bureaucracy than I'd ever wanted to. The second week, they tried to force me to carry a gun.

"You need one on you. It's standard for all personnel." Pete said, yelling at me. We were actually at home for this conversation, in the kitchen. Jackie was sitting, holding a cup of tea, while Pete and I were standing yelling at each other.

I scoff at him. "How many personnel have you got that can do magic!?"

"You need more than a little piece of wood. What happens if someone comes charging at you?" Pete asks, watching me.

I take out my 'little piece of wood', cast three charms in quick succession, leaving him dangling by his ankle in midair, tied up and silent. "Will that suffice?"

He tries talking, and is surprised when nothing comes out. I remove the silencer. "I thought you wanted to blend in? If I let you not carry a gun, you'd either have to break that security thing, and tell all of Torchwood what you can do, or claim that, because you're my daughter, I'm letting you not carry a gun."

I glared at him, trying to find a decent counterargument to his claims. There wasn't one. "Fine."

Getting my gun permit was less of an issue. After shooting things with exact accuracy for an hour straight, I think the guy in charge would rather not give one to me.

The third week on the job, I actually got to start looking through the files, only to have to run down to research and development to talk to the people in charge. They gave me a few books, and I spent the next week asking more questions than I ever did in Hogwarts.

By the fourth week, I had a gun on my hip constantly, a wand in both my forearm holster and my ankle holster, a basic understanding of the very basic theories behind the dimension cannon, and was finally looking forward to attempting to figure out the dimension cannon. Only Pete decided I needed field experience too.

It went like this: I was talked down to by all the 'experienced' field agents, simply because they thought I was using my connections to Pete to have this job (I was technically, but they didn't need to know that). The second we were actually in combat, I snapped off five stunners, one for each of the aliens we were facing, before anyone could get shot. I saved the other three people on the team from getting slimed with radioactive sludge.

Suffice to say, I wasn't talked down to any more.

By the beginning of the fifth week, I was finally getting into the swing of working alone, without training or interruptions, when Pete stopped by, dropping a file on my desk.

I glance between it and him warily. "What happened?" I gingerly pick up the file, opening it.

"We've got someone in containment downstairs. Says he's from an alternate dimension, and born in the 51st century. He's trying to get back, but he can't." He said, frowning. Obviously, this guy upset him a little bit.

I frown, looking at the file. It didn't contain a picture of the subject. I scanned the few pages in it. "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Normally, I'd hand this over to Mickey, but I figure, since he's just coming back from a mission in Holland, we need someone else."

"And the first person you think of is me?"

Pete looked uncomfortable and desperate. "Please Ria. He's been hitting on everyone who walks in."

"He's from the 51st century. They have very... loose morals then." I comment, glancing at the rest of the papers on my desk.

Pete frowns at my comment, "I take it you've been?"

"Briefly. But I've got a friend who was born there. He didn't stop flirting with anyone." I pause, thinking of Jack, "Haven't seen him in a while. Might never see him again."

He sighs, "Will you do it?"

I look at him before rising, file in tow. "What holding cell is he in?"

"Thank you." Pete gave me quick instructions to the cell. I followed them into the basement, to a locked door with no windows. I glance once more at the file, before unlocking the door, and turning the knob.

Inside the room was a table, two chairs, and a tall man, who's back was turned towards me. I cleared my throat, which he ignored. "Sit in the chair please."

He turned and I gasped. His hair was dark, his eyes sparkled, and his mouth was in a familiar flirty smirk. "Hello, beautiful. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Jack Harkness, I presume?" I comment. He blinks, frowning.

"How did you know that?"

I give him a smile, gesturing to one of the chairs. I took a seat. He followed, keeping an eye on me. "You're a time agent, Mr. Harkness. Surely you're familiar with meeting people out of order?"

"Familiar with the concept, yes. But it doesn't happen to me." He commented.

I give him a look, before pretending to scan his file, "I assure you, Mr. Harkness, it will happen to you a lot more often than you think."

"So, do I get to know your name?" He asked with a smile. "Or even how we met?"

I give him a look, "Everyone's taken to calling me Ria Tyler."

"So you're the big-guy's daughter then?"

"Adopted daughter, yes." I pause for a moment, "You said you were from an alternate universe. You couldn't get back. That is partially my fault."

Jack frowned, "Really, you've somehow been able to make it so I can't travel across universes with this thing?" He gestured to his vortex manipulator.

"Partially, yes. I assume you've heard of the Cybermen?"

He nodded, "It was my mission, to evaluate the threat of the cybermen, whether or not they could travel through dimensions."

"They did. To my home dimension. They and the Daleks attacked the Torchwood building. We managed to stop them, but at a cost. There is now an impenetrable wall between that universe and this one." Jack rubbed a hand across his face. "I am also working on a way to travel back. But transdimensional and temporal physics are not my forte."

He frowned, "Then what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Work for me."

He looked up at me. "What? You're offering me a job?"

"Yes. We both want the same things, logically this should work."

"You're crazy! You barely know me! Why would you offer me a job?"

"You saved my life in the future. And for that, I am forever in your debt. And you're intelligent. Maybe you can see something that I can't."

Jack blinked, "If I join, you call me Jack. No more Mr Harkness." He paused thinking, "And I want out of this cell."

"Deal. Welcome to Torchwood."

* * *

Jackie freaked out when I brought Jack home. They had met briefly, before the incident with Margaret the Slitheen. We all sat down, drinking a cup of tea, talking until the rest of the family came home.

When Jake, Mickey and Pete came home, they were all curious.

Pete ended up lecturing me about releasing prisoners without his say so. Jake looked at me like I was crazy, mainly because Jack didn't hold back flirting with him. Mickey attempted to greet Jack the way he normally would have, but after a quick explanation of the day's events, he laughed. This lead into me explaining how Jack and I met during the second world war.

After laughing about my accident proneness, we ended up discussing the differences between the universes. The Zeppelins being the obvious forerunner, followed by the smaller differences. Harriet Jones being President. I shared my story of being the Prime Minister's wife. Jake and Mickey shared their escape of Paris' Cybernetic Factory. Jack shared a (fictional) story involving most of the main characters being naked.

That was how the next two months went. Wake up, eat, go to work, ignore Jack's flirting, try to understand the theory behind the dimension cannon, go home with Jack, swap insane stories, eat, sleep.

There were brief alterations to the schedule, such as attend functions as the 'Vitex heiress'. And the night that Mum announced she was pregnant. Which is also when I announced I was too. But other than that, there were no changes until almost six months since I'd been left here. There was a voice in my dream that spoke to me, saying:

"_Rose..._"


	21. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: I'm a few days later than promised, but back none the less. This is the last section of this book, before I begin the next book. I offer no promises for when the next book comes out.

**A/N 2**: I will not be updating daily like before. It will probably be every Saturday or so. At least once a weekend.

**Part** **3**:Count Them

**Chapter 19**: A Trip of a Lifetime

_Last night I had a dream. I heard a voice and it was calling my name. I told Mum and Dad and Mickey. Anyone else would think I was mad. But not those three. They believe it because they've met the Doctor. So they listened to the dream. And that night, we packed up, got into dad's old Jeep and off we went. Just like the dream said. Followed the voice across the water. Kept on driving for hundreds and hundreds of miles, because he's calling. _

_Here I am at last. And this is the story of how I died._

I looked over the waves and rocks of the beach. Darlig Ulv Stranden. Bad Wolf Bay. Beaches would always hold horrible memories for me. Nothing ever good happened on beaches. (_Dobby_...) It seemed almost ironic that this goodbye was also to happen on a beach. In the middle of nowhere. My hand unconsciously goes up to my throat. No more scar there. No more scar across my body. No more scar on my arm. But the ones in my mind were still there. They're starting to heal. At least, they were.

His image appears out of nowhere, and it startles me. I swallow, "Where are you?"

"_Inside the TARDIS. There's one tiny little gap in this Universe left, just about to close, and it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a supernova. I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye._"

If this were normal circumstances, I would start lecturing him on not blowing up suns, no matter what, but they weren't normal circumstances. "You look like a ghost."

"_Hold on._" His sonic appears out of nowhere, and he points it somewhere, probably close to the time rotor, and his image solidifies.

"Can I..." I reach out my hand, hovering over where his face would be.

"_I'm still just an image. No touch._" I drop my hand. It hangs uselessly at my side.

I blink back tears. "Can't you come through properly?"

"_The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse._"

I take a shallow breath, "So?"

He ignores my comment. I shouldn't have said it. "_Where are we? Where did the gap come out?_"

"We're in Norway."

"_Norway. Right._" He frowns.

"About fifty miles out of Burgen. It's called 'DårligUlv Stranden'."

He frowns, "_Dalek?_"

I shake my head, correcting his pronunciation. "It's Norwegian for bad. This translates as Bad Wolf Bay." At his startled look, I smile. I frown at my next thought. "How long have we got?"

"_About two minutes._"

I laugh in desperation, "I can't think of what to say!"

"_You've still got Mister Mickey, then?_" He's looking past me, and I turn. Leaning against the Jeep was Mickey. Mum and Dad were holding each other watching. Jack, who'd somehow managed to convince us to bring him, was sitting in the Jeep to protect timelines. I doubt the Doctor ever knew that he was in a parallel world. Maybe Jack didn't even know. But I really didn't like to think about that.

I swallow. "There are five of us now." At his confused look, I elaborated, "Mum, Dad, Mickey, and the baby." Half of me was calling Jack a baby, and the other half was thinking about Mum's child.

"_You're not?_" His bewildered look made me smile.

I laugh, "No." I realize that I'm lying belatedly, "It's mum. She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way."

"_And what about you? Are you..._"

I give him a look, "No, I'd never work in a shop again. They have a bad tendency of blowing up."

"_Oh, good for you._" He gives me a grin.

"Shut up. There's still a Torchwood on this planet. It's open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens." I grin.

"_Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth._" He grins, but it turns into a frown, "_You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day, and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead. Here you are, living life day after day. The one adventure I can never have._"

There were so many responses I wanted to say to that, but as tears welled up in my eyes, only one thing came out, "Am I ever going to see you again?"

"_It's impossible._" And with that sentence, I developed all the determination to figure out how to get back.

"What're you going to do?" I ask, watching him closely through tears.

The Doctor forced a grin, "_Oh, I've got the TARDIS. Same old life, last of the Time Lords._"

"On your own." I realize that this might be the very last chance I could say this, "I – I love you." I start sobbing.

"_Quite right, too._" He says with a small grin, and then his expression goes serious. "_And I suppose, if it's one last chance to say it, Rose Tyler-_"

He disappears. I fall to my knees, sobbing. I barely even notice when Jackie comes and wraps her arms around me. She leads me back to the car.

"You alright?" Mickey asked, warily. We were back on the road, and since we'd left, I hadn't said anything.

I stared out the window for a few more beats, before turning to him. "No. But I am going to find a way back, and he is going to finish that sentence. With the right bloody name too!"

* * *

When we got back, I had visitors constantly.

_Sunday_

I was sitting at home, reviewing the diagrams of the dimension cannon when Hermione came in, looked at me, and then asked, "Am I going to need to pull another intervention?"

"No." I swallow, "You were right. I've just about constantly proved everyone wrong when it comes to saying 'impossible'. This is just another road I have to go down."

"Good." She said, and that was that.

_Monday_

"You sure you're alright?" Mickey asked, dropping by my desk at work.

I turn away from the computer files I'm looking at to glare at him. "This is the sixth time you've asked me that this week. Ask me again, and I assure you, you will not like the consequences."

"Wha's that supposed to mean?"

I pause to look at him, "Well, think of it like this, I've defeated a dark lord, I've dealt with the Doctor for three years, and the last guy who pissed me off, I enchanted everyday objects to come and attack him. He ended up in the hospital for six weeks. Are you sure you really want to know?"

Mickey paled. He didn't ask me again.

_Tuesday_

Jack was getting on my nerves, "Hey boss."

"Harkness, I swear, call me boss again, and we will have issues."

"But Ria..." He whines. At my look, he gets to his point, "See, the thing is, I've got some free time, if you want to get over him. If you catch my drift." I glance up at him long enough for his eyebrows to wiggle. I remove my wand from my holster, and hit him with a slightly modified curse.

It didn't take effect until the next time he tried to flirt with me, "Hey, do you want to go check out the closet-" His scream, and his sudden dash to the men's room left me laughing.

He came back, glaring at me. "Fix it."

"Fix what?"

"You know..."

"Promise to not offer to help me 'get over him' any more?"

"Fine."

A quick swish, and he was back to normal. Until he relapsed.

Then it got worse.

_Wednesday_

When Pete called me up to his office, I assumed it was Torchwood stuff.

Unfortunately, the saying about assuming things didn't appear out of no where.

"How have things been since..." He trailed off, unsure.

I give him a look. "Is this all you called me up to talk about?"

"I'm your father, and I'm going to be a father again soon, and well..."

I swallow, "You want to have practice." He sheepishly nodded. "Try someone else. I'm fine. I'm dealing, I'm not taking anything I shouldn't, and I am still a productive member to society."

With that, I walked out.

_Thursday_

"Ria how have things..." Jake started, before taking one look at my face. He turned around, pretending he wasn't about to ask me a question.

Apparently the story about Jack got around.

Or people were starting to understand my angry face.

_Friday_

Pete called me up to his office again. This time, unfortunately, it was in his capacity as director of Torchwood.

"You shot an agent!?"

I sigh, "In my defence, everyone knows not to begin their questions with 'How are you doing' by now, it was their fault."

"You shot an agent!"

"I healed them right up afterwards, and erased their memories of being shot. How did you even know?"

Pete looked at me, "Really? You just confirmed it."

"It technically never happened." I comment, "This is what happens when you give me a gun."

Pete gave me a glare. "I- You-" He couldn't even fit together two words, he was so angry. So he fell back on a common phrase. "You shot an agent!"

"Pete, relax. Don't worry about a thing. I'll leave my gun here."

Pete collapsed, head in his hands. "You," He sighed, "Technically need to keep the gun."

I gave him a look.

"Besides, it technically never happened. Don't do it again."

"Tell everyone to stop asking me how I am doing! I swear, if Voldemort ever had to go through this, I can kind of see why he went evil."

* * *

After my (not really) shooting of another agent, Pete sent out a mass communication, which indicated that under no circumstances was anyone to ask about how I was doing. If they began a question with that statement, what followed was their fault.

Thankfully, after that, people got the message.

That weekend, I spent watching the stars. Looking out, wondering which ones I'd been close to their parallel cousins.

The next Monday, I was called in to one of the _stranger _departments of Torchwood. I was met by a nice bloke, who brought me into a separate room, and asked me one question.

"What do you know about future events on Earth?"

I blink, frowning at his question, "I beg your pardon?"

"It has been confirmed that you are from a parallel universe. Logically, what happened there, might also happen here."

I process that thought, "The Slitheen at Downing Street?"

"Avoided by Mickey Smith's knowledge."

I nod, thinking for a moment. "Well, I remember there being a Christmas star. That shot lasers at people. There is going to be a plasmavore hiding away in a hospital, which the Judoon take to the moon. There's going to be a crazy man who thinks he can rewrite what it means to be human. And..." I trail off, thinking about that year and a half.

"Miss Tyler?"

I blink, coming back from long gone memories. "There's something else, but I doubt it would happen here."

"Why not?"

"There is a certain species of alien that doesn't exist in this universe. The cause of this event is from that species."

"How can you be certain that this species doesn't exist in this universe?"

I answer automatically, "Well, the Doctor said it was..." Impossible.

"Said it was what ma'am?"

"He said it was impossible. Which basically means, keep an eye out for anything called the Arch-Angel network, or a man ascending through the government named Harold Saxon."

* * *

The next day, I was called to do an assignment. "Tyler, get a team together, you've got an assignment!" One of the head's barked out.

I take the proffered file from her gently, before flipping though it. "It looks like a downed spaceship? Or the remnants of one? What does this have to do with me?"

"Are you questioning orders?"

I sigh, not even bothering to answer. I grab my jacket before throwing Jack's at the sleeping 'statue' perched on my desk. "Suit up Harkness, we've got an assignment."

He seems to come to life quickly. "Where to, Boss?"

"I told you not to call me that, Harkness, unless you want to be left behind somewhere."

"Course Boss."

I ignored the smart ass for now, focusing on perusing through the file. "It's some ship crashed in some farmer's yard. We should get to it before the press does. Luckily, the man is ex-UNIT. He contacted UNIT, UNIT contacted us." I give him a smile, "Apparently, they deal with only viable alien threats. Space-junk is our territory."

Jack laughs. "So, I'll drive?"

"Who is your superior?"

Jack snorts, "And see, this is where you're a hypocrite. 'Don't call me Boss', and yet, you use it to differentiate yourself from me when you want something." Jack blinks, "Are you saying that you're going to drive? Because if you are, I'd rather stay here and hold down the fort."

I take the keys from the automobile technician on duty today, and give Jack a nasty grin. "And if I tell you your job depends on you getting into the car?"

"I wouldn't believe you. My life depends on staying out of the car you're driving, I believe with every fibre of my being."

"Coward, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Sorry Boss, left it at home."

He climbs into the passenger seat beside me in spite of all the fuss he's made. I start the car and hand over the file. He flips through it for the whole ride, stopping briefly to give me the directions inside the file when needed.

We arrive at a small looking farm. I park, getting out to greet the man who'd phoned in. He was short, average build, with light hair and bright eyes. The lines around them showed he was, indeed ex-UNIT. He wore farmer's overalls and a flannel shirt on this breezy morning. He showed us to the wreckage.

I'd agree, first glance, it looked like an alien crash site. The ship seemed to be mostly intact. The surrounding crops were burnt, and there was a crater. But there were also inconsistencies. The shrapnel of the crash didn't travel as far as it normally would have, indicating it came down at a low velocity. There wasn't the smell of ozone in the air, which was common with anything that travelled through the Earth's atmosphere. There wasn't any visible warping of the ship, like it had burned up some in the atmosphere. It also didn't come down at an angle, which is strange, given the turn and movement of the Earth.

Whatever it was, it didn't travel very fast. And it looked like it wanted to land in this exact spot, intact. Which is strange, given that it was in an ex-UNIT member's land. Like the alien knew it would end up at the proper authorities. Or at least, with either UNIT or Torchwood.

I glance at Jack, who is also evaluating the wreck. "What do you think?"

"Too planned. Too precise to be real." He commented, looking around. "But I think we need our supplies to really tell for sure."

"Alright, you start the tests, I ask questions?" I offer, glancing at him. He nods, and goes to begin his small hike back to the truck. I turn to look at the farmer.

I force a smile on my face, like a puzzle like this happens to drop in my lap everyday. "Mr. Miller, I'd like to ask you a few questions about the wreck?"

"Alright." He glanced at me. I look over the wreck.

"At about what time did the ship impact?"

"Approximately 0430 this morning, miss. I checked."

I give him a wider smile. "What kind of impact was there?"

"Well, it woke me up. Mind you, I've always been a very light sleeper."

"I suppose you couldn't tell us which direction it came from then."

"'Fraid not."

"Was there anything usual about the night, before going to bed?"

"Not that I recall."

I ask him a few more questions, and then leave him the number at Torchwood to contact if he remembers anything more. I slide down the slope of the crater, going to look at what Jack had found with the equipment.

He gives me a report on what he's done to it, but there isn't much in the way of knowledge. "And judging from the database, it isn't like any other ship we've encountered."

I look over the ship again, wondering what kept catching my eye. And then I saw it. "Jack, do you see that opening?"

He looks up from the graphs he's reading and glances at the part of the ship I'm pointing to. "Yeah, Boss. What about it?"

"Does it look like one of the other pieces of shrapnel? Like it might fit in?"

Jack looks at me warily. "Sure?"

"Could this be the entrance to the ship?"

"I suppose, why are you asking?"

"You've done the scan for harmful radiation? Any harmful chemicals?"

"Clear and clear. I still don't know what you're talking about though."

I ignore his protests, and leg myself up to the hole. I shimmy through, finding an interior, completely not burnt like the outside. There was a single chair in the room, the pilot chair, judging by the steering apparatus. There were various screens, dials and levers in reach. I look closely at the steering apparatus, which looks strangely like a steering wheel.

There was blood. Red blood on the wheel. I glance down, looking at the possibility of seeing a piece of tooth or something similar. Instead, I only found a small piece of lens off what looked like a pair of sunglasses.

Jack's followed me in, and is glancing around the room. He lets out a whistle, before glancing at what I'm looking at.

"Looks like the pilot escaped." Jack commented.

I gather up a sample of the blood and the fragment of lens. "What ever it was, it looked like it escaped with a pair of broken sunglasses." I rock back on my heels for a second, mulling over that piece of information. "Which could mean he's either a shape shifter, or humaniod enough to pass as human."

"Whatever it is, I'd like to have a ride in this thing. It looked like the trip of a lifetime."

* * *

After a few more of Jack's witty comments, we called Torchwood to come and get the ship. A transport team arrived to take it to a secure warehouse on the outskirts of London.

Which is where we were now.

The evidence was being scanned, and DNA was being lifted from the blood. I had the results in my hand, but had yet to look at them.

"I've got to say, whoever built this thing knew what they were doing." Jack said. I could only see his feet. The rest of him was underneath the control panel. "But it looks a bit like a rush job."

I turn my back to him, and glance around the rest of the small room. "There's no room for sleeping, food or any way of excreting waste. Either the pilot didn't need them, or it was to be a short trip."

I hear the rolling wheels of the skateboard Jack's on, so I turn to face him. "Did you see the crash site? If it fell out of the sky, there would be some sort of angle. It looks like it just went, ker-plunk."

"Thank you for the apt description of the crash via onomatopoeia."

"You're just jealous."

"Oh, yes, terribly jealous. So jealous of the fact that you lack the proper words so you use sound effects like a five year old."

"You know, sometimes you need to de-age yourself a little bit. Relax, have a bit of fun."

I turn away from him, "You've probably read my file by now."

"Yeah."

"I don't exactly have the ability to relax, as it were. I constantly guard one of the most powerful items in the world. In the wrong hands, it can be used for world domination. No chance to relax."

"So that hunk of rock around your neck isn't just a trinket."

I shoot him a quick glare, before focusing on the screens in front of me. "No, it's not just a cheap trinket."

* * *

_Unknown_

Miles away, a man stood, facing the sun. He wore dark sunglasses, and had dark brown hair, parted and jelled back.

He arrived by a spaceship not built for space. And he was only part alien. There was a small part of him that was human, but that part was corrupted by the darkness residing in two people's hearts. Memories that made him dark ran through his brain as he licked his lips absently.

"Well, now. Only one thing left to do I suppose. World domination."

He planned to steal the Philosopher's Stone.


	22. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, no knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: Hello everyone. I haven't forgotten about you all. It's just life's become wibblywobbly. And too much has happened in too little time.

**A/N 2**: Mwahaha! This is my own, original two parter, (well at least the beginning of it). Please tell me what you think, and the first person who guesses who the new villain gets a cyber cookie.

**A/N 3**: What do you guys think about how I fixed the point of view change?

**Part** **3**: Count Them

**Chapter 20**: Crouch or Kneel

_Ria_

By the time Jack and I were finished arguing, the crew had already turned on the telly and was watching the interview I'd given earlier that morning.

I shoot the group a glare, wondering why they would even decide to watch the news when they knew what was going on.

"_Torchwood will update the rest of the world on the happenings and reasonings behind the crash landing here on Mr. Miller's farm. However, we need to have findings to report, so until then, please keep your agents away from the area._" My voice drawled on.

"_There you have it folks. The heiress of Vitex Company, and newly adopted daughter of Peter Tyler speaking about the crash that happened earlier this morning. We have been informed that the President will be speaking to the country later on this evening about the crash and the findings done by Rose Tyler and her team. And now Sunny Day with the weather._"

I tuned out the rest of the broadcast, focusing on the results that had been handed to me earlier. I open the file and scan for anything out of the ordinary. And then I actually read the report, given as all of the information is out of the ordinary.

"So, anything we need to know, Boss?" Jack asked, dropping to a seat beside me. I blink at him, before gathering my thoughts.

Swallowing, I answered his question, "Our pilot of the spaceship that's not really a spaceship is part human. The other part has three strands of DNA, versus our two. And then there is something that looks a hell of a lot like some form of coral never before found." I glance at him and he frowns, "It's insane. Approximately one sixth of the pilot is human. Two thirds has three strands of DNA, and then the other sixth is coral. I mean, I don't understand."

"Pass." Jack commanded. I pass him the sheet of the DNA interpretations, before going to look over the trajectory of the ship.

Glancing over it, I start thinking aloud, "And on top of that, judging by the depth of the crater, and the distance that the shrapnel flew, he was only travelling for maybe a few thousand metres. Definitely not high enough to be non-terrestrial in origin."

"I'll check the plane records, see if someone was flying overhead that night. Possibly military testing?" Jack offered, frowning as he swiped the other set of results from me as he went to sit in front of a computer.

I frown, "Well, no one's come forward. And it's been on the news. I'd say it's safe to say that it's non-terrestrial, but at the same time, it came from our atmosphere."

"Could be something like the Slitheen again." One of the other techs commented.

I shake my head. "I was there for the Slitheen thing. That crash actually had a trajectory. This just, appeared out of nowhere, and dropped from the sky."

"What if the aliens are already here?" Another tech asked, visibly shaking.

I give that tech a look, and suppress the urge to fire him for incompetence. "Of course there are already aliens here on Earth. But they haven't tried harming us. So why now? And besides, what's the point of this crash." I think, "And we didn't notice them on radar. Has someone asked UNIT about their radar systems?"

"It was a negative ma'am. They didn't find anything."

"Boss, there definitely wasn't any planes overhead. No way that thing could have been dropped."

I swallow. "Alright, so _when you have eliminated _the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. It wasn't dropped. It wasn't lifted up. Alright, then how the hell did it get up there?"

One of the tech's sent over from UNIT came over with the answer. Dr. Malcolm Taylor. "Well, I'd say that it moved through dimensions."

Jack and I both stared at the man. "How do you mean, moved through dimensions?"

"You two have both experienced interdimensional travel. You stay in the same position. Perhaps, in the pilot's universe, there is a multistory building. As there was nothing to support him after coming through to this universe, he fell." Malcolm commented.

I blink, processing that piece of information. "Would you like a job at Torchwood?" I ask, as a joke, but if he replied positively, absolutely serious.

"Are you working on interdimensional travel?" He frowned.

I nod. "Multidimensional physics and temporal physics aren't really my versions of a picnic."

"I shall look into it." He commented.

I give him a small smile. "Alright, that means that he's from another dimension. It's impossible for it to be ours, given the very solid brick wall between the two. That means he's from some other dimension."

"But what about the coincidence of him landing on ex-UNIT grounds? I mean, coincidences happen very rarely in my book." Jack commented, swinging around the chair to join the little powwow between Malcolm and I.

I frown, "Perhaps he's not the first to come through to this dimension."

"But why alert us now then?" Jack frowned.

"I honestly don't know Jack, why do you think I would have all the answers?" I glare at him.

* * *

The next morning I woke from a nightmare feeling strange. I went into work as normal, not being able to shake the feeling I was forgetting something.

Jack came around laughing. I shoot him a glare, knowing why the nightmare happened. "I swear, I had nightmares again, thanks to your insensitive questions yesterday."

"Sorry." Jack said, laughing. He looked at me a few seconds longer, before frowning. "What was it about? Something horrible, if I'm getting this reaction for inadvertently causing it."

I look away from him. "He came." There was no need to explain who 'he' was. "Wearing sunglasses, and said that he needed the Stone, because it would get me back to our universe."

"So, did you give it to him, or is it in some secret place?" Jack asked. I frown, hand going up to my throat where the necklace and the stone should be. It wasn't around my neck.

I frown, thinking for a moment. "I must have put it in the family safe or something last night. I was a little out of it."

"Right." Jack said, watching me warily. We went to work, trying to figure out what to do about our missing pilot.

A few hours of starring at boring data later, I frowned. I swivel my chair to face Jack. "It feels like I am forgetting something."

"You forgot to put on your pendent." He comments. I frown, hand going to my neck.

"I must've put it in the family safe or something last night. I was a little out of it." I comment. Jack turns to me, eyes wide.

"You've already said that."

I blink at him, "No, I haven't."

"We talked about your dream, where you gave the Doctor your Stone, remember?" Jack asked, frowning.

I gape at him. "How did you know-"

He cut me off, "Not important. I need to know. Was there anything different about him? A feeling left behind from the dream? Anything unusual?"

I think about my dream, straining to focus on the brief bits I do remember. "He wore his pinstripes. The suit he was in. And, sunglasses." I comment, frowning, "There was this strange feeling, like I'd felt something like it before. But I know I haven't."

"And you gave the Doctor, wearing sunglasses, your necklace?"

I give him a look, "It was just a dream."

"Our pilot was wearing sunglasses. You also suggested that he could be a shapeshifter. And, suddenly your necklace, which, and I quote, 'can be used for world domination', is missing. Colour me suspicious."

I roll my eyes. "I'm going to call my mum, and when she finds the necklace in the safe, you are going to be so embarrassed."

"No, I'll call Jackie."

I give him a glare, "Why should you, she's technically my mother!"

"You forget what we're talking about the second we change the subject!"

I blink, frowning. "What? What do you mean, I forget what we're talking about?"

"What are we talking about right now?"

"Who gets to call Jackie." I reply instantly.

"And why do we want to call Jackie?"

I blink, drawing a blank.

"Therefore, I'll call her."

* * *

"The safe is negative for the necklace." Jack said, tossing me my mobile as he sits down.

I blink, "What necklace?"

He sighs, "That's getting old fast." He turns to me, "You remember your dream from this morning. Can you identify the strange feeling you had?"

I frown, wondering where he knew this from. But shake my head, not knowing the answer to his question.

"Are there any sort of magics that can make you forget talking about something?" I frown at his sudden question from out of the blue.

I think for a moment, "Well, the obvious one is Obliviate."

"And that gets rid of memories."

"Yes. Cast it once, and you can remove as many memories as you want."

"And it can be done, even if they aren't in the room with you?"

I frown, "No. You have to be right there. What's with the magic questions?"

"You keep forgetting the topic of our conversation when we talk about something specific, and then change topics." I blink.

Sighing, I comment, "I am having a little deja vu. What's the subject?"

"Not telling, you won't remember this conversation in a few minutes if I do."

I nod, thinking about his other question, before gasping.

"What?" He asked, concerned.

I almost blush. "Well, I had this dream, more like a nightmare last night-"

"Where the Doctor came in pinstripes and sunglasses, asking for your necklace."

I blink at him. "I guess this is the conversation, huh?"

"Yeah. What did you figure out?"

"Well, that feeling that I couldn't identify..."

"You identified it."

I nod. "Euphoria."

"Any spells that could erase you memories, and induce euphoria?" Jack asked.

I frowned at his random topic. "Well," I pause, clarifying, "Euphoria? Have you experienced it?"

"Just answer the question, and then I'll tell you."

"Well, there's the imperious curse. One of the three Unforgivables."

"What makes this one so unforgivable?"

I swallow, not liking the subject much, "It takes away free will, leaving behind a euphoric state, where the caster can make the person, the castee, as it were, do anything they please."

I could see Jack swallow. "The nightmare you had last night, and the feeling you had after it, could it be like that spell?"

I blink, frowning at him, "How did you-"

"Trust me, just answer the question."

I blink, thinking back. "No. The feeling was all wrong."

"You've called it euphoria before."

"There are different types of euphoria. They aren't the same."

"There are different universes too."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Jack paused for a moment. "Could the feelings of different spells change between universes, like the change of major transportation between our universes?"

I blink at his strange question. "I suppose anything is possible."

"Do you have someone you can trust to perform the Imperious curse on you?"

* * *

_Pete Tyler_

During the time Jack and Ria left the building to visit one of her friends, there had been an alien capture. Someone who looked human, but obviously wasn't. Pete Tyler, even though he'd become the director of Torchwood, still decided to go down to the cells and see this man.

It wasn't a decision he normally made. It was only after reading the report and description of their newest prisoner that he decided to go down.

Statements like, "_wearing a pinstriped suit_" and "_talking a mile a minute, with previous knowledge of Torchwood_" bounced around his head. He swallowed, following the implications that this would have on his family. Ria was just starting to get better, depending on herself. He was worried what this would do to her. He arrived at the cell, and glanced through the windows. Inside was a man that he was certain he would never have seen again. The Doctor.

He was fidgeting with his hands, and swiping furiously at his lower lip, but Pete was certain the man in the room was The Doctor. He was, for some reason, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. Pete opened the door, drawing the Doctor's attention his way.

"Pete, it's brilliant to see you again. How have you been?" The Doctor said with a grin.

Pete laughed at the man (alien?) before him. "I have to say, I'm glad to see you again."

Pete turns to look down at the file he's carrying, oblivious to the smaller, darker smile that crosses the other man's lips.

"Something I can do to help?" The alien asked, watching the man across from him closely.

Pete looked up from the report with a smile. "Well, according to my reports, we didn't see your TARDIS anywhere."

"Couldn't take it."

Pete frowned, not liking the sound of that. "Rose said that you take it with you everywhere."

"Couldn't take it."

"How do you plan on getting back?"

A secretive smile crossed the Doctor's face. "It's a long story. Any chance I could see Ria?"

Pete blinked and frowned. "How'd you know that name?"

The Doctor flinched, swearing in English, "Well, now, I'm sorry for this."

The second the Doctor's knuckles impacted Pete's left cheek, there were three Torchwood agents coming in, and tranquilizing the alien in the room.

* * *

_Ria_

Meanwhile, we'd managed to get into Grimmauld Place, and Jack and I were currently sitting across the table from Harry, having tea.

Jack, obviously impatient, got straight down to the point, "We need you to cast the Imperious curse on Ria."

It got an obvious reaction from Harry, who spat out his tea in my face. I waved my wand, and the tea disappeared, but I still felt disgusting. "Why?" He demanded, looking between the both of us.

Jack quickly explained what he believed was going on, and Harry sat back, frowning.

"Alright." He swallowed, gripping his wand firmly. He cast the spell at me, and I watched it until it hit me.

I blinked at the new sensation washing over me. Joy and happiness. There was something wrong, but I couldn't care about that now.

And then Harry's voice came out of no where, and I blinked, "Do the chicken dance..."

I shook it off, frowning at Harry's suggestion. "I suppose you think that's funny?"

He gives me a small smile. I turn to Jack, thinking over the sensations.

"You were right. There is a difference between the curses. Something in this dimension must be different." I comment frowning.

Jack grins. "Okay. Good, so we've determined that someone used the imperlous curse- ("Imperious", I correct,) asking for the Stone. Now, why?"

I blink, frowning, "When would they have done that?"

Jack sighed. "During your strange dream last night."

"How did you-"

"You keep asking me that question, and you keep forgetting my answer."

"Oh." I really didn't like the feeling of this forgetting thing.

A buzzing noise, bursts us all out of our thought bubbles, and I answer my cell phone. "Tyler."

"Ria, we need you to come back to headquarters. We seem to have found your pilot." Pete's voice came crackling through the phone.

"We'll be there in about five minutes." I comment, before hanging up. Jack glances at me, and I explain what happened. I grab his arm, intent on apparating us to the office, and hear him mutter:

"How long are you going to continue to forget about this?"

* * *

I walk into the small interrogation room, briefly glancing at the man before me. I sit down, and glance at the shackles holding him in place.

"Hello." He said, grinning. He absently swipped his tongue across his lower lip. His hair was parted strangely, more closer to current wizard fashions than anything the Doctor would ever wear. But for anyone who didn't know the Doctor as well as I did, he looked right.

"Hello." I replied back, glancing towards his sunglasses. "Why are you wearing sunglasses? Is this part of your species issue, or do you have too sensitive eyes to the current sunlight?" I comment, watching his reaction.

He seems to grin, "What, no 'Doctor, thank you for finding me! Can we go back inside your box and screw like-'"

I slam my hands against the table, cutting him off. "Where have you put it?"

"What? The silly little trinket you always had around your neck?" He commented, "Oh, after you willingly gave it to me. Musta lost it."

"You cursed me. How you've managed to get the Doctor's hair for the polyjuice, I'll never know, but certainly, I'll applaud your efforts." I sigh, "But whatever you are planning won't work. Please deist in trying."

"I could say the same for you."

I blink frowning. "What do you mean?"

He smiles, and sings in a childish voice:

"_Tick Tock goes the Clock,_

_And all the years you'll try,_

_Tick Tock, no matter what, _

_Your love will surely die."_

"What's that supposed to mean?" I comment frowning.

"_Tick Tock goes the Clock, _

_And now what shall we play?_

_Tick Tock and all too soon, _

_Bad Wolf shall go away."_

"Answer my questions!" But he didn't. He just continued to sing more words to that annoying tune.

"_Tick Tock goes the Clock, _

_You'll cradle and you'll rock her, _

_Tick Tock goes the Clock, _

_Til River kills the Doctor."_

"Who is this River?" I yell. He gives me a slow grin, tilting his head.

"_Ria, brave and good, _

_She's turned away from violence, _

_Til she understood_

_Why she should be silenced."_

I slap him across the face, knocking his glasses off. He turns slowly to look at me. Only the brown eyes I'd come to expect from that face weren't there.

In their place were bright blue eyes, remnant of the TARDIS. I gasp. I turn out of the room, ignoring his loud, mad laughter.

His eyes were mad.

* * *

_The Man Planning World Domination_

The TARDIS-blue eye'd man chuckled to himself. He knew that would shake her up nice and good. And it was worth it, mentioning all those future events too. He glanced up towards the small camera that was watching his every move in the small room. Not that he could move much, given the shackles. But they wouldn't be a problem for much longer.

He gave the camera his most mischievous grin, practically spelling out that he was up to no good, and then hid the shackles from sight. He slipped out the small wooden instrument as he did so.

Within thirty seconds (He'd predicted a little bit shorter, but was overall saddened by the guard), a man in a heavily padded suit came in, eyeing him warily. He walked slowly towards the blue-eyed man. When he was within range, the blue-eyed man lifted his shackles and spoke one word:

"Imperio."

* * *

_Ria_

Jack was sitting with me, talking over my reactions in the interrogation room, and reviewing what we'd discovered at Harry's.

"So, there's no mistake. The man in there definitely cast the mind control thingie on you."

I sigh, "He did. But that's not what's bugging me. It felt familiar."

"But that thing hasn't been cast on you before."

"That's just it." I comment frowning, "There are only two ways a spell can seem familiar. It either has to be a spell that has been cast on the person before, or..." I trail off, frowning.

"Or what?"

"Or it has to be someone who's already cast a different spell on that same someone."

Jack blinked, processing that information, "So what you're saying, is that because you didn't recognize the spell, you must know the guy who cast the spell on you."

"Which means..." I trail off sighing.

"He's from our dimension."

An alarm blared, indicating there had been a breach in the prisoner area.

"And a wizard who wouldn't be held by mere shackles." I comment, running downstairs. I get down right in time to see him standing with a few of the better agents at Torchwood, all touching one object.

"Ria, get down-" Jack cried out, at the same time the wizard winked at me.

The wizard and the other's he'd seemed to have had under his control disappeared a blink of an eye later.

"What the hell was that?" Jack yelled.

I sigh, "A portkey."

And then explosions went off. My last thought before succumbing to unconsciousness was _Voice activated bombs..._

* * *

I woke to the sound of sirens. "What happened?" I comment, my hand going up to my head automatically feeling for damage.

Jack glanced at me. "We barely got hit by the blow." He commented. I glance around at my surroundings seeing that we were still in the main foyer of the Torchwood building. "It went off in the upper levels. You were only out for a few minutes."

I sigh. "We need to hold a press conference about the explosion. And the space ship. Where has the day gone?" I comment, lying back down on the rubble.

"Well, I know where we should go." I lift my head up just long enough to look at him. "Outside of the damaged building." He comments, with eyebrow's raised. He lends me a hand, which I gladly take to hoist myself up.

We walk out of the building slowly, avoiding the emergency personnel who came circling around the area.

"So now what, boss?" Jack asked, glancing at me.

I swallow, hard. "Could you identify anything that the mass of men that the guy..." I trail off frowning, "What did we call him?"

"Doctor." Jack supplies.

"The not-Doctor had following him were holding?"

He blinks, thinking a moment, before shaking his head. I sigh, "Neither could I."

"So what you're telling me is, we've got an unknown, possible psychopath, with unknown, most likely dangerous alien technology, with an unknown, deadly plan, involving your immortality stone." I blink at the summation.

"Well when you put it that way, it does sound really bad."

Jack frowns, running his hand through his hair, "What now, oh wise one."

"We should do a press conference, with the president. You know, to make sure the public isn't worried."

"But the public should be worried."

I give him a look, "Yes, but we can't tell them that."


	23. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer**: Nothing related to Doctor Who or the Harry Potter Series is mine. I swear. I wish I owned them, cuz then I might have a bit more money, but I don't.

**Warnings**: Book Two of Three (Main books anyway). Swearing. Sarcasm. I have only watched the new series, minimal knowledge of early Doctor Who. EWE, kind of...

**Dedication**: To the Writers and Producers of Doctor Who, thank you for giving me something else to obsess over, now that Harry Potter is long gone. And to the lovely people who encourage me to continue writing in their reviews. To the lovely people who encouraged me to post the next chunk. To my lovely reviewers, thank you for everything you've said.

* * *

**Book 2**: Stories of A Shop Girl

**Summary**: A Death too soon. A woman who steps up to save the world.

**Rating**: Dark T

**Genre**: Adventure/Drama

* * *

**A/N**: Well, this story is coming to a close (by which I mean I've still got like 10 more chapters to write). And the third book should be up eventually (and should be up faster than this one came out). Which means I've got a poll up on my profile as to the few stories that are bouncing around my head. Let me know which one you'd like to see and vote!

**Part** **3**: Count Them

**Chapter 21**: The Legend of the Philosopher's Stone

That conversation lead to me standing beside the still crumbling building of Torchwood, the president of Great Britain, Harriet Jones, and pretending everything was fine.

Harriet was talking, and I was honestly tuning her out, knowing full well that she was spinning some babble about the something or other involving Torchwood, and the alien spaceship having no relation what-so-ever.

"Actually, madam president," A familiar voice called out, "There is only a relationship between the spaceship found earlier yesterday and the destruction of that lovely tower, if I'm involved."

I turn my gaze to where the voice was coming from. The wizard, who somehow managed to get through the defence Torchwood had put up was coming close with some form of ray gun. I take a closer look at it, and see the dark red stone sitting at the focal point. My Stone.

"You see, I needed to create a little diversion while I put this puppy together. With the lovely addition of this beautiful and magical stone graciously donated, this machine now does this." With a flourish, he pointed the machine towards the president and pressed a button, instantly turning her to gold.

"Shame. Lovely woman, but getting so tired. Well, she can sleep now, she's dead thanks to the Midas touch." He grins evily, as the camera seems to zoom in on him. "I must say, I love having your attentions now. If you don't do exactly as I say, I will turn everyone on this planet into gold." He pauses, glancing my way.

"I want the Tylers. Peter, Jacqueline, and Ria. Your choice world, crouch, fighting for three people you barely know, or kneel, before your new master."

The panic that ensued after the announcement was understandable.

I took Jack's hand and apparated out, (which in retrospect, might have caused more panic) to the Tyler Mansion, where Jackie was watching the telly. Jackie turned to the two of us yelping. Pete ran into the room (he'd gone home for the day, claiming I could handle the press conference on my own), gun drawn, trying to find the thing that made his wife cry out. Quickly updating him, he explained that we would all be fine here at the Mansion.

And we were.

We spent the time watching the news on the telly. Watching the man who had yet to identify himself turn most of London into gold. I spent the time packing a few necessities. We stayed fine until about three hours later when Mickey came pounding on the door looking for Jack and I. I ran to answer the door, wand drawn and ready.

"What the hell happened back there? You and Captain Cheesehead disappeared!" Mickey all but yelled.

I pulled him in to the house, glancing around the room. I shut the door, locking it and charming it to stay shut. "Were you followed?"

"Wha-"

Pete came in, glaring at me, "Were you followed?"

Our answer came in the form of glass breaking in the dinning room. Pete and I share a look before running up the stairs to where Jackie and Jack were. I summoned and shrunk the luggage before pocketing it. I grabbed every one and spared a thought to yell 'Hold on!' before apparating everyone. I glanced at Jack at the last second, deciding on a location.

We stumbled in the square at Cardiff.

Pete turned to me, and began yelling, "Right, all of London turned to gold, and the first place you think of that's safe is bloody Cardiff!"

"There's a small place we can camp out here. Jack mentioned it to me in the future. It's where he set up his Torchwood Three." I comment, casting a spell to find the entrance of the area.

Jack blinks. "Do I remember that I need to do this?"

"No. I don't think you do. You told the Doctor about it. From what I gather, you had to." I turn to the direction that my wand points me, and start walking that way. Everyone seems to follow me.

Mickey walks closest, "So what's the plan?"

"No idea." I comment.

* * *

_The Man After World Domination_

He sat in the small office of 10 Downing Street, wondering what was so special about this place that the woman who'd given him DNA thought of as brilliant. The man who'd given him DNA thought that as well. People were so curious.

One of his minions came in slowly, frowning. "Sir..."

"Just speak your mind man." The man after world domination said, turning to the soldier.

The minion blinked, "Why do you allow us to ask questions?"

The part-wizard man grinned, scaring the minion slightly. "Well now, surely you are familiar with those old Saturday morning cartoons. The evil villains that ignore their minions and think they know all?" The minion blinked and nodded. "I've decided to learn from their mistakes. I don't know everything, and if someone else sees something, I'd rather have them point it out over the 'hero' point it out. Is that all?"

The minion shakes his head, and swallows, before spitting out his question quickly, "Why do you hate the Tylers?"

"I have nothing against Pete or Jacqueline Tyler." The part-wizard said, smiling, "I do have an issue with Rose Tyler."

The minion waited for more information for a moment, before prompting the man with, "Sir?"

"Her name wasn't always Rose Tyler, or Ria Tyler, as she seems to be more commonly known in this universe. Her name used to be Hermione Granger. And she will change her name again later in her life. It's her fault. Her's and the Doctor's. They're the reason I've gone mad. I am mad. Crazy. Bonkers. Insane. Round the bend. But clever, so very clever. Because they both are clever. I have over 1500 years of knowledge from the two of them. And all of their horrible memories stand forefront. Her years captive, when she should have suffocated. His memories of the Time War. Do you know what the term biological metacrisis means?" The part-wizard asked, his face growing angry.

The minion frowned, "No, sir."

"It means that I am like him, with his memories, and like her, with her memories. I am essentially their child. And I hate them both. I am just human enough to sleep constantly. And I have nightmares constantly. Every time I close my eyes, I see death, or feel the anguish of the empty halls of the dead. It's all their fault. Every bit of it."

* * *

_Ria_

We finally ended up at the Hub, and I used some of my magic to expand it, make it comfortable for Jackie and Pete. We locked the large door behind us and I turned to the men.

"What exactly can the Stone you've given him do?" Pete asked, sitting down on the luggage I'd expanded.

I swallow, collecting my thoughts. "Well, the most agreed upon effects of the Philosopher's Stone are that it can grant the user eternal life and turn any metals into gold."

"The President wasn't metal though." Mickey commented, sitting down cross-legged on the floor.

Jack slid against a wall, until seated. "It could easily be the alien technology that's increasing the power."

"Did either of you recognize the technology?" Pete asked, looking between Jack and I. I shake my head.

Jack frowns, "It wasn't sorted either. All of it was completely uncategorized."

"There were two distinct beams of light though. There was the red beam, and then an almost shimmery gold beam." I comment, thinking back on the incident.

Mickey frowned, "I dunno about you lot, but I only saw one beam."

Various agreements were heard, and I looked at them, "I suppose you can chalk it up to my different genetics."

"You said the commonly agreed upon effects of the stone. Any others?" Jack asked, looking at me.

I search my brain for a moment, "There are stories that it can create golems. But that's all they are, stories."

"That's all they said the philosopher's stone was too, and look at the truth behind that." Mickey commented. It's what they said about the Chamber of Secrets too.

I sigh, "So outside of the President turning gold, we really have no idea what the beams did?"

"Right back where we started." Pete frowned, running his fingers through his hair.

We fall into silence, thinking hard for a few minutes. A ringing disrupts the silence. It's my cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Miss Tyler, this is Malcolm, from UNIT?"

I blink, glancing at the rest of the group, "Why are you contacting us? You won't get a trace as to where we are." My voice grows hard.

"On the contrary ma'am, I'm calling to offer assistance. The President's come under my care, and we are trying to turn her back." Malcolm paused. "I was hopping to get your opinion."

"Malcolm, in case you didn't notice, the world's kind of after me right now."

"But you are quite able to do disguises, am I not correct?"

I swallow. "How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"You're just going to have to trust me."

* * *

After promising to call every hour on the hour, I changed my appearance enough to apparate to just outside the warehouse they were holding the Prime Minister in. Malcolm met me in front of the doors. He flashed his badge at the guards, and claimed I was an old colleague who might have an idea of what happened.

We approach the golden statue, and I frown. The metal was still warm to the touch, and she looked so real, like she was almost about to move.

"Do you have any idea what happened?" Malcolm asked, shooing the rest of the crew that were around.

Once they had left the area, I cast a privacy charm, "The man who killed her stole something of mine. We think it might be linked."

"What was it?" Malcolm asked, going to his computer, pulling up the data he had.

I swallow, deciding to tell him the truth. "The Philosopher's Stone." He turns around in his chair, gaping at me.

"It was alien?"

I shake my head. "You know how Jack and I are from an alternate dimension. In that dimension, I was called upon by the Flamel family to safeguard the secret, as the last member of the family died. I accidentally brought it here. Jack suggested that the alien technology that used it's power might have amplified it, turning the woman into gold."

"Fascinating."

"Would you happen to have a video of the president getting shot?"

"Yes, of course. Why?"

"Can we just look at it, in slow motion?"

"I don't see why not." He commented, bringing the image up on one of the larger screens, across the workstation. We went through frame by frame, until I managed to point out what I'd seen earlier.

"There!" I comment, pointing at the beam. Malcolm comes closer, blinking at the spot that my finger was touching.

He looked at it for a moment. "There were two beams!" He exclaimed, "How did you even notice that?"

"Long story." I frown, "Would it be safe to say that one beam turns whatever into gold?" At Malcolm's nod, I continue voicing my thought. "So what does the other beam do?"

Malcolm frowns, "Perhaps we should examine the President now." I nod, going close to the statue in the room.

I get up close to her face, staring at it. Something in the back of my head was telling me that something was wrong with the face, but I couldn't see it.

There should have been a small scar on her chin. I'd noticed it, during that time when we'd been huddled under the door frame, hoping we wouldn't die, as the missile was coming to blow up 10 Downing Street. I'd asked her about it, and she told me there was an accident with a cow in her youth. I'd talked to this universe's Harriet Jones, and she told me the same thing.

It was small enough that if one didn't know her well enough, they wouldn't have noticed. But you really can't know anyone better than almost dying with them twice, and then taking down their regime, only to support it in another universe.

There were a few other bits and pieces, but everything seemed to scream to me that this wasn't the real Harriet Jones.

"It's not the President." I finally say out loud, walking backwards, until I could feel the edge of the desk against my back. I close my eyes, thankful that the woman was not dead.

Malcolm sighed, "What do you mean, that's not the President. She was in the exact same place as the president, after she got hit by the beams."

"One of the beams must have been a transport beam. It moved her to someplace else, and then made a golem made out of gold with the next beam." I swallow, following the thought. "She and anyone else turned to gold must be somewhere else. But where?"

* * *

Malcolm and I left the President, aparating back to the base. Pete was a little upset about me bringing in someone new. After I mentioned that Malcolm only knew we were underground, and therefore even if he was wanting to turn us in, had no clue where we were.

I reported the knowledge of the golems back to the small team I'd amassed.

"So where could they be hiding them then?" Mickey asked, frowning.

Jack glanced upwards, thinking. "No where public that's for sure. Private, and most likely guarded. And it'd have to be big."

"Not necessarily." I commented. At the looks everyone gave me, I elaborated, "He's claiming to be part Time Lord, and part-wizard. He could easily expand the area, making it 'bigger on the inside'."

Jack frowns, "Any thoughts as to who he might be?" Jack explained to everyone about my dream, causing me to frown and ask when I told him that.

When he finally got to the comment about being Imperioused, I gasped, and attempted to fight the feeling of slowly losing the memories again.

It hurt, forcing the enchantment out of my head. When I finally beat it, I glanced around. Everyone was looking at me concerned. I took a swipe at my nose, gasping when I saw the blood. I cast a quick charm, fixing my nose and getting rid of the blood.

I smile at them, "I've conquered the curse. I remember every time you talked to me about my dream." I grin widely.

Jack nods. "Do you know who cursed you?"

I frown, thinking back through my memories. I went back through the memories of the Freak Show, my memories at St. Mungo's, the war, before settling on my Fouth year class. When Professor Moody cast the Imperious curse, to understand what it was like.

I swallowed, understanding finally who hated us. "Barty Crouch Jr." I spoke aloud.

Jack glanced at me, "That's his name? Are you sure?" I nod.

Jackie frowned, "What exactly does this thing do to you?"

I force the memories back. "Do you remember the war I fought in?" I briefly outlined it for Malcolm. "The Death Eaters used to kill the muggle families of muggleborns. Only they would use this curse, and make the muggleborns do it. Spouses, children, grandparents. Anyone who was home. And they wouldn't make it easy. It would look like a bloodbath in there afterwords. The muggleborns would do it with a _smile_. And then they would be released from the spell. And they would register what they did under the curse."

Jackie and Mickey looked green. Pete and Jack looked tired, tired of being shocked by new horrors of the world. Malcolm vomited. I used a quick spell to clean it up.

"So where could the prisoners be?" I ask, changing the subject. I turn to Malcolm. "I just remembered, where did the spaceship go? It wasn't there in the building."

It took Malcolm a few minutes to regain composure before answering, "It got transferred to Downing Street. Our alien's orders."

"I take it, they are probably in there." I comment. "How are we going to get them out?"

Jack frowned, "I think the only way to do that would be a frontal assault, given our man power currently."

"Let me call a friend." I say, grinning.

* * *

The plan was rather simple. It involved me being caught outside of Downing Street, and helping Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny sneak in to figure out the ship. With them was Jack and Mickey, both of whom refused to let me do this job by myself.

When I was captured, I was brought into a familiar room I'd used to help the Doctor prevent World War 3 in. Or at least, an alternate universe version.

"Hermione Granger." Barty Crouch smiled, getting up from his throne like spot at the top of the table. "Or should I call you Rose Tyler?"

I swallow, "Ria, actually."

"Of course. What Rose by any other name would smell as sweet." He said, his grin turning slightly mad. "I'd expected you to go by that name. But I figure, I'll let you know that I know who you are. And that's the easiest way to do so, I'm afraid."

I frown, "Why do you hate me?"

Barty laughed, more from madness than any kind of humor. "It's all your fault."

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's all your fault. I would have been just fine, being a hand for the rest of my life, but no, you had to touch me and give me everything. Make me part you." His blue eyes turned cold.

I blink, "You were a hand?"

"I'm ahead of your personal time line." He comments, as if that explains everything. "You accidentally participate in a process called a biological metacrisis. It gives me your memories, and the Doctor's. I can't sleep because every time I close my eyes, I feel the madness of destroying the Time Lords, or the insanity creeping in after being stuck in a small box for show and tell with no air holes. And what results is all your fault."

"No..." I hiss, not daring to believe anything he says.

"Yes." He comments, walking closer to me. "I know you better than you know yourself. I know your strengths and weaknesses. I know how far you are willing to go to save people. I know your mind."

He pauses, crouching to my eye level, "Which is why I know that you would have sent along Mickey, Captain Jack, and Harry and the gang to go rescue the people the second you realized that I'd been turning golems into gold.

"Which is why I kept a special one out of the ship that your magnificent six is rescuing. Bring her in."

Doors open behind me, and I turn around far enough to see Harriet Jones, stunned.

"Well, I can tell you, this will actually kill her."

He picks up the large machine and shots a red beam at her. I scream, thrashing to stop him, but to no avail.

I stare at the statue of Harriet Jones, sobbing. "How dare you." I whisper. "She had done nothing wrong. Your beef was with me, not her."

"And now you are going to blame yourself." He comments, grinning, "Funny thing, out of all the deaths that happened near you, the only one you don't blame yourself for is the one you caused. Well, I did it, but I thought that she was you."

"What?"

He stands, smiling "I killed Rose Marion Tyler. That night, when you appeared out of no where, I killed her. Stabbed her. Not the best idea, given as you have this tendency of regenerating.

"And here comes the guilt trip." He comments, watching my face very closely.

Oh God. I blink back tears, smothering the sorrow. It only fuelled the rage in my heart.

This was about the point when my magic took over, snapping out at the cause of all this, that blasted stone. I focused and destroyed the molecules, piece by piece, until all that was left were the particles I'd scattered in the wind. I destroyed the feeble cuffs tying my arms behind my back, and began blasting off hexes.

I had him cornered fairly quickly. "You won't kill me." He declaired.

"Here's the thing." I comment, crouching down at him. "That may be true when you know me. But, you see, you've caught me at a bad time. I don't know who I am. I don't know what I am capable of.

"So, think long and hard if you want to attempt to call my bluff with this."

He laughs, "This is how it was supposed to end. Good luck explaining everything that happened in here."

He then proceeds to disappear in a cloud of gold dust, the second the doors behind me blast open. Jack comes running in, looking at the corner I was staring at.

"He's gone."


End file.
